Shattered Moon Part 2: Footsteps on Sand
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Byakuya finds himself the target of revenge after a squad member dies protecting him. Forced into an experimental human form, he and Renji struggle to find an escape before the form fails and death claims him.
1. The Vigil

**Footsteps on Sand**

**Chapter 1: The Vigil**

Thunder rumbled through the nearly empty streets of the Seireitei and the rain poured down as it had for days, pooling on the sodden ground and running in streams along the sides of the streets. It soaked the feet and uncovered heads of the mourners as they proceeded down the road and into the military cemetery grounds. It was a source of some pride to Byakuya Kuchiki that every member of the Sixth Division was present…even though one of those members was the one they were gathering to mourn. It was a sign of just how much things had changed…and in such a short time.

But pride was a secondary thing on such a day.

Byakuya stood quietly as the mourners took their places beneath the protective canopies. Renji was a silent shadow at his side, his usually lively eyes red and tired, his head bent respectfully. The family of the fallen squad member sat in a secluded place away from the rest of the mourners, their muffled sobs barely audible above the sound of the rain. When all had gathered, Tadashi, the family spokesman, a slim, solemn young man with earthy brown eyes and hair, stepped to the front of those gathered and began to speak.

"Thank you all for coming," he said quietly, "Our family is very appreciative knowing how many lives Takashi touched in such a short time. Takashi wanted to be a soul reaper from our earliest days in the Rukongai. We were lucky to grow up in a family with loving parents who nurtured us and supported our dreams. Takashi was at the top of his class when we graduated from the academy and his dream came true when he was assigned to the Sixth Division, under the command of his role model and, he would say, 'hero,' Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. I still remember the light in my brother's eyes when word came to tell him of his new assignment. Takashi loved his post and was devoted to the other squad members…and to his captain. I don't think anyone realized how seriously he took his vow to protect his comrades and his captain until the day he fell defending them."

Byakuya's head lowered and his eyes closed for a moment as he remembered. A soft shiver passed through him.

"My brother was everything that a shinigami should be…strong, proud, devoted, protective…and he was truly treasured. My family has indicated that they would like to have his friends and comrades say a few words about him. They have asked you, Captain Kuchiki, to speak first, if you will, sir."

Byakuya nodded and stepped forward.

"Takashi was a highly intelligent and powerful young shinigami. When scanning the lists of this year's graduates, his name stood out for several reasons. His examination scores were the first perfect scores in the history of the academy, his dedication to his studies was evident in his already advanced skills. These things caught my attention, but that only got him in the door for his interview. Upon meeting Takashi, I was immediately impressed with his attention to self-presentation, to his confidence, and to his enthusiasm at being called to serve in my division. From the first day, Takashi proved to be dedicated and capable. He was everything that I could have hoped for in a squad member. But I had no idea…none…that this young man would soon make the ultimate sacrifice on my behalf. I am saddened at the loss, but deeply honored. Takashi is truly the embodiment of devotion and courage."

Byakuya returned to his place beside Renji and, noting the tears that were joining the raindrops on his vice captain's face, quietly took his hand. Other friends and comrades stepped up to speak and Byakuya and Renji stood listening with their heads respectfully bowed. When all were finished, prayers were said and the service concluded.

Renji followed Byakuya out of the cemetery and back along the still-wet streets to the Sixth Division office. Byakuya held the door open for Renji and followed him inside, then secured the door behind them.

"Are you certain that you don't wish to go to the gathering, Renji?" Byakuya asked softly, "I have to stay, but there really isn't anything critical that you need to remain here to do."

Renji shook his head silently and moved slowly to his desk. He removed his cloak and tossed it over a chair off to the side, then sat down and picked up a stack of papers. He set them in front of him and picked up the first, poring over it carefully. Byakuya stood near the door for a moment longer, watching him, then stepped across the room and removed his cloak. He hung it on a peg on the wall and turned back toward his desk. As he started toward it, he realized that Renji was now sitting with his face buried in his hands. His shoulders shook softly, but he made no sound. Byakuya bit his lower lip, thinking, then crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to his vice captain. He slipped his arms around Renji and pulled him onto a warm shoulder.

"Sorry," Renji said in a rough voice, "I should…I don't know…"

Byakuya brought his face close to Renji's and kissed him gently on the lips, reaching up to brush the tears away.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he assured the redhead, "We hand-picked Takashi for our division…and you personally saw to his training. He learned a great deal from you, Renji."

Renji nodded.

"He was so quick to learn, so eager…I only ever had to show him anything once and he had it. I...uh…I guess I shouldn't have made those jokes about throwing yourself in front of danger to protect the captain, huh?"

He dropped his head back onto Byakuya's shoulder, breathing slowly and trying to gather himself.

"Renji," Byakuya said softly, "Why don't you let me make you some tea?"

He started to get up, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked down into the saddened brown eyes and sat down again, pulling Renji into his arms.

"I don't need tea," he whispered against the dark haired captain's throat, "I just need to be with you. I'll be okay. It just hurts like hell to lose one of them, you know?"

Byakuya nodded.

"I know," he said, kissing Renji again, "You put a lot of effort into their training. I know I should provide more support…but you manage it very capably, Renji."

"Not that it made a fucking bit of difference the other day…but thanks for the compliment, Captain," Renji said bitterly.

Renji took the redhead's face in his hands.

"Renji…stop being so hard on yourself. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much training a shinigami has. Sometimes we have to sacrifice ourselves. If anyone should feel guilty about what happened, I should. I am the one that Takashi was trying to protect. We were outnumbered and taken by surprise…we all did the best we could under the circumstances."

"I know that…I, uh, just hate what happened, that's all. I keep wondering if I had done something different…if…"

Byakuya kissed away the rest of the words.

"Stop," he said firmly, "Don't keep doing this to yourself."

He stood and pulled Renji to his feet. Renji gazed at him in confusion.

"Come, Renji," he said, turning him toward the hallway.

"Byakuya…you said you had some things that need to be done for the captain's meeting tomorrow…"

"I will get them done," he said quietly, slipping a hand into Renji's and pulling gently.

Renji followed Byakuya into the hallway and inside the captain's quarters. Byakuya closed the door behind them and followed Renji across the room. He pulled the hair tie out of his vice captain's hair and watched the long red strands fall and settle in swirls on his shoulders and down his back. Then he reached for the tie at Renji's waist and slipped the top of his uniform off. He turned away for a moment to hang the top over a chair, then turned back and finished undressing him. Renji slipped into the soft, comfortable bed, waiting quietly as Byakuya undressed and moved to join him.

Byakuya felt Renji's body begin to relax as he settled in next to the redhead. He pulled Renji onto his chest and drew his head down to rest on one shoulder. Byakuya ran his finger through the long red strands and kissed Renji on the forehead, then on the lips. He rested his chin on top of Renji's head and closed his eyes. Renji gave a long sigh and sank into the warmth of the dark haired captain's embrace.

The rain continued to pour down, striking the window with hypnotic taps that lulled the two toward sleep. As he was drifting off, Renji turned and kissed Byakuya warmly.

"Thanks Byakuya," he said softly, "I think I really needed this."

Byakuya didn't reply, but simply tightened his arms around the redhead and buried his face in Renji's soft, red hair.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tadashi," Nia said quietly, "the guests are starting to leave. Mother and Father have asked us to make farewells."

They walked back into the front room of the small house and stood by the door, speaking to each guest as he or she left. Tadashi shook Rikichi's hand and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you for coming, Rikichi…and please tell Captain Kuchiki and Vice Captain Abarai that we appreciated their attendance at the memorial. It…meant a lot to my parents."

Rikichi nodded.

"I'll be sure to let them know," he promised, "I know they thought very highly of your brother…and they were deeply touched by his dedication to the captain."

"Well," said Tadashi quietly, "anything for the captain, right? It is the job of every squad member to protect him, is it not?"

"Yes," agreed Rikichi, "but it is very troubling when a shinigami's dedication to his duty costs him his life."

Tadashi nodded.

Rikichi turned to Nia and took her hand in his.

"Take care, Nia," he said softly, "let us know if your family needs anything."

He turned and walked out into the rain.

"We need our brother…" Nia whispered softly into the humid air.

Tadashi's eyes rose and met hers gently. Her stepped toward her and pulled her into his arms.

"The guests are gone now. You should go and rest, Nia," he said, giving her a squeeze.

Nia shook her head.

"Captain Kurotsuchi has work for us…remember?" she said, looking in the direction of the Twelfth Division.

Tadashi sighed.

"Yes, that's right," he sighed, "Damned Captain, always pushing, always demanding. I imagine we should go."

The two gathered their cloaks, then went to say good-bye to their parents.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Do you think I made the right decision?" Renji asked quietly.

Byakuya's opened and he studied Renji's face in the darkness.

"I could have had Rikichi there…or one of the other, more experienced guys. Maybe…"

Byakuya cut him off with a kiss.

"Don't second guess yourself, Renji," he said, running his fingers through his red hair, "You made the best decision you could under the circumstances. You don't know that having someone else in that position would have prevented anyone from dying. As I said before, we were surprised and outnumbered. All of the intelligence for that area indicated it wasn't so much of a risk. That's why we chose it for training."

"Yeah…I know. I just…wonder. I wonder if it would have changed things."

Byakuya slipped a hand under Renji's chin and kissed him.

"I seem to remember you once telling me that I shouldn't live in the past, that I should move forward and not let my regrets keep me from living my life."

Renji smiled sadly.

"I think I do remember telling you that," he admitted.

"And although you were trying to get me into bed at the time, I think that what you said was absolutely right. You can't live in the past."

"I wasn't just trying to get you into bed, Byakuya. We were trying to get each other into bed. You were just having second thoughts."

"I wouldn't call it having second thoughts. I wanted to be with you as much as you wanted to be with me, but I had regrets about the past, about mistakes I thought I might have made. But you were right, Renji. I had to accept that I made the best choices I could at the time, and you have to do the same now."

Renji shook his head sadly.

"I know you're right. But this is something that's easier said than done."

Byakuya nodded.

"I remember."

"Byakuya?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you listened to me. My life would really stink if we weren't together like this."

Byakuya gazed warmly into the calming brown eyes.

"Mine too," he agreed in a whisper.

Renji burrowed into Byakuya's shoulder, enjoying the warmth and the soothing smell of sakura. He reached up and stroked the noble's cheek. Byakuya caught his hand and kissed the fingers gently. The redhead turned and met Byakuya's lips with his, shifting his body so that he rested partially on top of the noble. He ran his tongue along the warm sweet lips of his captain and slipped it in between them as they parted for him. Their kisses became deeper and more intense and Renji moved so that he rested on top of the noble, with his hardening arousal in contact with Byakuya's. The dark haired captain's hands rose and held the sides of his face as they kissed, then slipped into the silken red strands and tightened.

Renji parted his thighs and rubbed warmly against Byakuya, earning a soft moan of pleasure from the noble. Pale hands slid down the redhead's back and came to rest on his hips, taking hold and pulling them into closer contact. The noble's head fell back and his eyes closed as Renji's mouth came down and pleasured his throat with soft wet kisses and tantalizing suction. He shifted his body, bringing Byakuya's hardened member to his entrance. Byakuya looked up at him questioningly.

"Renji," Byakuya said quietly, "you have a lot of pent up emotion. Don't you…"

Renji shook his head.

"I need a little bit of pain to distract me."

He sank down on the noble's swollen arousal, moaning softly at the feeling of penetration. He raised his upper body and gazed down into the dark, hazy eyes, moving his hips enticingly. The noble's lips parted in a sigh of pleasure and his hips rose to meet each heavy thrust.

Renji lowered his head, moaning deeply and quickened the motion of his hips. The noble's hips thrust upward and deeply into the redhead, forcing another passionate moan from his lips. He struck the same place repeatedly, until a heavy shudder passed through the redhead's body and his release spilled out onto the noble's white belly. Byakuya thrust into him one more time, panting with pleasure and releasing inside him. Renji fell against the noble's chest and buried his face in the warm, pale throat, still panting and slowly catching his breath. They rested quietly, listening to the rain until the soft, comforting sound lulled them to sleep.


	2. Falling

**Chapter 2: Falling**

Kurotsuchi Taichou watched closely as his seventh seat stepped into the life chamber, looking back nervously as the door closed behind him. The masked Taichou grinned and his fingers moved quickly over the keyboard in front of him, tapping furiously as he set the parameters for the experiment.

"Very well, then," he said finally to the uncertain youth within the chamber, "Let us begin. I am going to run a few tests and I want you to tell me how you feel as the conditions around you change. You may want to sit down."

The youth nodded and sat on the examination table as the lights around him dimmed and began to pulse softly.

"I feel…uh…kind of warm?" he said with a nervous tremor in his voice, "and…uh…my skin is tingling."

Kurotsuchi nodded and made several quick adjustments.

"How about now?" he asked, still tapping keys.

"I…feel…kind of…dizzy, sir."

"Lie down," Kurotsuchi said in a bored voice.

The youth fell back and seemed to lose awareness.

Nia's voice rose up warningly from a console nearby.

"Sir, the form is showing a heavy sensitivity to spiritual pressure."

"That is what the life chamber is for. It is supposed to offset the spirit energy and emulate the conditions of the living world."

"Well…then it's not doing that well enough. The form is becoming unstable."

"Damn it!" Kurotsuchi said tapping the console keys harder and faster, "How about now?"

"Sir," called Tadashi from another console, "he's becoming agitated!"

Kurotsuchi glanced into the chamber and frowned as the seventh seat jumped up from the examination table and ran to the door.

"Let me out of here! Let me out!" he cried, pounding the door with his fists.

"Do quiet down and get back on the examination table at once!" Kurotsuchi ordered, "I'll reverse the process if you will just hold still."

His fingers tapped madly on the keys and the lights flashed in the room. The seventh seat's young face flushed, then twisted into a look of blind terror. He screamed and dropped to the floor, howling in agony. The masked taichou's fingers flew over the keys, but it was too late. The young man fell to the floor, moaning and writhing in agony as the taichou and his staff looked on. Nia turned and buried her face in her brother's shihakushou, sobbing silently, knowing that such a display would only earn her a reprimand.

"Damn!" yelled Kurotsuchi, slamming his fists down on the keyboard and watching in disgust as the seventh seat twitched softly, several more times and then fell still, "I thought I had it figured out. Well…that was a waste of time…damned thing! No wonder it was discarded. It would be brilliant if it actually worked!"

He rose and left the room, leaving the others staring after him. Nemu turned and followed him out of the room. Slowly, the other staff members rose and left their places. Tadashi covered his sister's eyes as they edged past the room that held the seventh seat's body. He turned of the lights as they passed out of the room.

Some time later, a slender, hooded form slipped into the room and sat down at the keyboard. A slim hand placed a small disk in the drive and the graceful fingers swiftly moved over the keys, finding and downloading the information. It wouldn't take long…not long at all. And when everything was in place, the human form would come in very, very handy.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya placed a tender kiss on Renji's lips and gently pulled free of him. He still had a few more things to do before the captain's meeting later in the day, so although he wished he could offer his vice captain more in the way of comfort, he slipped away, releasing the redhead's fingers reluctantly and slowly dressed in the half-light of early morning.

He left the captain's quarters and moved back out into the darkened office, lighting candles on his desk, then moving to the door to go out and collect the morning paper. He opened it to scan the headlines and froze, staring at the picture on the front page. The large picture that dominated the page showed Takashi, rising up in front of Byakuya, his zanpakuto flaring and his eyes blazing. It had to have been taken just a moment before…

Byakuya swallowed hard at the memory and let the paper fall. He rubbed his hands over his face slowly, then bent to collect the fallen paper. He looked past the picture to the story beneath it and another sharp bolt of surprise and rage passed through him.

"Devotion…how much is too much? Are our troops being brainwashed into thinking their lives are worth less than others…or just worthless?"

He released his breath in a sharp hiss and his reiatsu flared. He clamped down on in quickly so as not to wake Renji and shot out the door, flash stepping to the news building. He climbed the steps two by two and flew inside, sweeping past the stunned secretary and bursting into the chief administrator's office. The man looked up in surprise, then seeing who it was, sat back and gave him a knowing look.

"I imagine I know why you have come, Captain," he said calmly.

"I have seen some heartless acts in my time, but this kind of cruelty is shocking," Byakuya said, his reiatsu flaring until the man before him cringed, "Do you have any idea how something like this will affect Takashi's family? What were you thinking? And the story? Brainwashing? Obsessive devotion? Do you even understand what you're accusing me of?"

He clamped down on his reiatsu, allowing the administrator to take a short breath and respond.

"Captain Kuchiki…personally, I'm surprised you even know his name. You are well known for leaving the training of your troops to your vice captain…and we all know how Renji Abarai serves under you…"

"How dare you!" Byakuya snapped, his reiatsu rising dangerously.

The administrator rose out of his seat and took a step back, his eyes flaring with strain.

"Stand down, Captain," the man gasped, backing away.

With an effort, Byakuya brought his reiatsu back under control.

"My relationship with Renji is no one's business. It takes place outside of work hours and in privacy. It is not for you or anyone else to invade that privacy. Neither is it acceptable to print such photographs without having obtained permission from the military."

"They are freelance photos, taken by a bystander…"

"We were in Hueco Mundo! What bystander would it be? A hollow on your payroll? I believe it! You might well be a hollow yourself! You certainly are heartless. That you would take advantage of that family's pain is reprehensible!"

"That your vice captain would encourage such blind, mindless sacrifice, all for his love of his captain-lover is…"

Byakuya surged forward and took hold of the front of the man's shirt, pulling him close.

"Do not dare speak of Renji Abarai or any member of my squad in such a manner!"

"Why, Captain? Are there others you are fucking? Perhaps the one who threw himself in front of you?"

Byakuya would have killed the man then and there, but the door to the office banged against the wall and a security team entered the room. They stared at the two men warily.

"Captain," the head of security said solemnly, "I will have to ask you to leave the premises."

Byakuya glared at the chief administrator.

"You had best make sure that you stay within the boundaries," he said in a low, dangerous voice, "or you will face penalties for your actions."

He released the man, turned and swept out of the building. The head of security turned to the chief administrator.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said quietly, "We will make sure he doesn't come in here again."

"Arigato," he said in a relieved tone, "Captain Kuchiki is quite hot-headed these days. It must be his redheaded playmate…Anyway, just…see that he does not come in here like that again."

"Hai," the head of security said, turning away with the security detail.

The chief administrator watched them leave, then turned back to the papers on his desk. He felt the approach of another, but did not raise his eyes as a slender, hooded figure stepped into the room and sat down. He reached into his cloak and withdrew his camera. The administrator moved slowly from picture to picture, studying each carefully.

"As I said earlier," he told the other, "I am always interested in the work of one with your skill."

He thought for a moment.

"I want to hire you…strictly cash off the books. I want you to follow him. I want more like these…full of passion, emotion. I want pictures of him and those close to him…at work, social events and anything illicit you can catch. Captain Kuchiki is going to be sorry he messed with me. I'll make him sorry."

The hooded soul reaper chuckled softly and extended a slim hand. The administrator accepted it and kept the camera, while the other rose and slipped away, unnoticed by any but the administrator.

He reached out with his reiatsu to make sure the captain was gone from the area and sensed his reiatsu back in the direction of the Sixth Division. He slipped quietly down several alleyways and into a small dark building. He walked up the darkened stairs and into the room at the top.

This was the only room he allowed light to enter. He needed it to see his work…proudly displayed on the walls. Without the keenest of eyes, it was hard to tell which photos were genuine and which he had retouched. Each photo centered on the Squad Six Captain…capturing him from every imaginable angle and in a myriad of settings. His favorite showed the captain with his shikai in the midst of release, his face placid and deadly. Another showed him with his head bowed, hands raised to remove his kenseiken. Another captured him kissing what appeared to be the journalist himself, but was actually a retouched photo of the captain kissing Renji Abarai. He scanned the array with heated eyes and moved to the bed, falling onto it and staring at the calm gray eyes and flowing black hair as his hand slipped beneath his clothes. He imagined the silken voice sounding in his ear, the scent of sakura around them and the touch of heated lips on his. His head dropped back on his pillow and he imagined the captain leaning over him, smirking down at him as he took him roughly, mercilessly.

He moaned softly and panted that sweet name, picturing the face, the eyes, feeling those hands on his body. He imagined the hot mouth blazing a trail of kisses down his body, taking him into that pretty mouth and devouring it and the hot seed that erupted from it.

He stroked himself, imagining what it would be like to restrain him and force himself into that sweet tightness that only Renji Abarai was lucky enough to enjoy. His breath shortened as he neared release. He stared at the pictures on the ceiling above him and moaned his name loudly, the hot fluid pulsing into his hand.

"Byakuya…Byakuya…Byakuya…"

XXXXXXXXXX

"I can't believe those fuckers!" Renji raged, his reiatsu flaring wildly enough to feel like fire on his captain's skin, "That they would put that on the front page! What the family must think!"

"I went to see them as soon as it was late enough. Unfortunately, they had already seen it. I think they understood that the military had nothing to do with the photo and did not give permission for it to be used. But as it was a freelance photographer…"

"Fuck that!" Renji snapped, "You and I both know that's a load of shit, Byakuya! Sorry…Captain…You know that was not done by a simple bystander! What fucking bystander shows up in Hueco Mundo and snaps pictures while someone is being killed before their eyes? Who fucking does that?"

Byakuya shook his head and sighed.

"And that article…what they said about you…about me?" Renji went on, his eyes beginning to tear, "What fucking gives them the right to say things like that?"

"Renji, stop."

"Stop? Captain, they said I set Takashi up to be killed for you…like…like I got off on seeing him throw his life away! And they said those things about us and Rikichi! The kid can't even look me in the eyes!"

"I spoke to Rikichi. He doesn't blame us and he is handling it, Renji. But you, on the other hand, have got to get yourself more firmly under control…"

His words disappeared in a flurry of surprise as he was suddenly forced back against the wall and Renji faced him nose to nose, his eyes deadly.

"Control? You want to talk to me about control? Fuck control, Captain! Control isn't going to stop this! It isn't going to undo the damage. Now you tell me how the fuck I'm supposed to worry about control!"

He stood, panting with fury, his eyes locked on Byakuya's, his hands tightly gripping his captain's shoulders, almost as though he was hanging on for dear life. Byakuya stared, waiting quietly as the anger began to drain away. As it fell away, a tired look came into the vice captain's eyes and a shiver of resignation went through him.

Byakuya reached up and caught his face in the palm of one hand, bringing him close for a gentle kiss. Renji leaned into the kiss, pushing him back against the wall and pressing his body against the strong, reassuring form of his captain.

A carefully positioned camera captured the kiss and the others that followed. It captured the image of the two sinking to their knees and the surrender to passion that followed as the red haired vice captain stripped his captain and took him right there on the office floor…the brown eyes shattered and furious at the same time. All the while, Byakuya looked up at him warmly and offered comfort only he could give Renji. And when the fight went out of him and he collapsed onto the strong, muscular chest, crying out as though he had been burned, Byakuya held him tightly and spoke quietly in his ear, telling him gently...

"You are right, Renji…They had no right to do that, to display his picture like that…to say what they said, especially about you. Don't let them do this to you…Don't let them inside your head. You know they're just trying to get attention. They will use anyone."

He took the tear-stained face in his hands and kissed Renji again and again. Gradually, Renji sighed and his body relaxed against Byakuya's.

"I'm sorry," he said, so softly that Byakuya could barely hear, "I shouldn't get like this…"

"Shh," Byakuya whispered, "It's okay. Just…we should move this to the captain's quarters."

Renji nodded and they climbed to their feet, picking up their clothing and retreating down the hallway. Outside, the camera peeked through the small space in the curtains and snapped shot after shot.

The hooded photographer sat for some time after, studying each picture. The more innocuous shots would be sold to pay for his room and board, but the others were for his enjoyment only.


	3. Focus

**Chapter 3: Focus**

_It never rains in Hueco Mundo, Byakuya thought to himself as he watched the training group set up for the war game. _

_He scanned the area to be certain there were no hollows nearby and engaged the cloaking kido to hide their presence from any hollows that might stumble upon them. It wasn't very likely for that to happen in this area, so far removed from Las Noches and the other known bases in Hueco Mundo, but Byakuya was always cautious when entering the home of the hollows. One never knew what could happen._

_He glanced over at Renji and signaled him to set the boundaries, then went back to scan the area again for safety purposes. All was quiet._

_He was turning back to begin the training game when something registered inside, some sense of warning…and then the reiatsu around them began to rise. He signaled Renji to abandon the setup and started to open the gate to return them to the Seireitei. To his surprise, a strong reiatsu pulsed nearby, interfering with the formation of the gate._

_Byakuya turned and brought the squad to alert with a hiss of warning. It was all of the warning they got before hollows began to appear all around them._

_Too many…_

_Most were not high in level, but the sheer number of them…and the fact that there had been no warning left them vulnerable. He drew Senbonzakura and activated his senkei. The thousand pink blades rose around the stunned training group. He paused for a moment, then started to speak._

"_As you can see, this training exercise has just become a very real threat. Each of you has been well trained and you are ready to face this challenge. Renji, Rikichi, Takashi and Manao will set the kido field around us. When I detonate my senkei, you will need to fight at full power to defeat them. Use everything you have learned. We can defeat them…despite their numbers."_

_The four moved away and linked their power, slowly bringing a powerful shield into place around them. The others set themselves into formation and began the incantations to release kido attacks. As the kido field was completed and the incantations came to an end, Byakuya detonated the senkei, sending a powerful blast outward in all directions. The blast incinerated the first wave of hollows and blinded the rest for a few moments, giving the small group of shinigamis time to release a volley of kido attacks. Byakuya's joined the rest and raking the enemies with huge blasts of red and blue flame._

_Byakuya noted that the shinigamis were holding their own and began to open the return door again. As he focused on the beginnings of the senkaimon, a flash of light off to the side caught his attention. The light pulsed again and again. He turned to look more closely._

"_Captain!"_

_He turned in time to see that a strong hollow had broken through and was closing on him. There wasn't time to draw a weapon, so his hands came up and his kido attack began to form._

_But he never released the attack._

_Because, unbelievingly, someone had thrown himself between the two…between this high level hollow and the Squad Six Captain. A zanpakuto released and the enemy was thrown back, howling and slashing at the shinigami that had dealt the fatal blow._

_But the shinigami was falling too._

_Buakuya flash stepped forward and caught the youth as he fell, pulling him close and reading the extent of the damage. The shocked brown eyes looked up at him and the young, handsome features struggled to remain calm._

"_Takashi…" Byakuya whispered._

"_Captain…" the young man gasped, "It has…been an honor…to…"_

_His eyes closed and his body went limp in Byakuya's arms. He lost awareness of the battle after that until he felt Renji's hand on his shoulder and the vice captain told him that the senkaimon had opened._

_It never rains here…except when it rains blood…_

"Byakuya…"

The concern in Renji's voice brought him awake. He rubbed a hand over his face and blinked up into the worried brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "It seemed like you were having a bad dream."

Byakuya shook his head slightly to clear it and sat up.

"I'm fine," he said softly, trying to force away the memory, "I just…"

"You said his name, Byakuya…like before," Renji said quietly, "You were dreaming about it, I know. I can't get it out of my mind either."

"Everyone knows upon entering the military that there are risks…" Byakuya began.

Renji put a hand on his face.

"But that doesn't mean that when someone is lost that we just continue as if we don't notice. You might have been able to pretend you could before, but that's never really been what you believed, has it, Byakuya?"

He knew he should deny it. He should simply force the emotions away. They wouldn't serve any useful purpose. They weren't going to bring the youth back to life.

Renji slipped a hand under is chin and pressed his lips to Byakuya's

"I always knew it was a lie, Byakuya…when you'd stand there looking calm and unaffected. You perfected looking like you didn't care, didn't you? But deep down, it broke your heart to lose anyone…not just because it was a loss of pride, but because it hurt you. It hurt you, but you weren't allowed to let anyone see."

He pulled the noble close and brought his head down to rest on a warm shoulder.

"I'm not just anyone, Byakuya. I've been further inside your mind than anyone, and I know this is really hurting you. You don't have to admit it. Don't say anything, but just…let me comfort you a little. Kami knows you've been there for me these past few days! I haven't been able to bottle up anything. But I'll be okay, because we have each other. As long as we have each other, we'll be okay."

Byakuya didn't answer, but slipped a hand into Renji's and squeezed it gently to show he had listened.

XXXXXXXXXX

The news administrator looked up as Orochi Kuchiki entered the room. He worried for a moment that the noble was there to take revenge for the harsh treatment the news group was still giving their clan leader. But Orochi waved his concerns away off-handedly.

"I am looking for someone," he said, holding out the latest copy of the paper, "I need the one who took these photos. Tell me where I can find him."

"He is a freelance photographer named Shuji," the administrator said, glancing at the picture, "but he's the quiet type…just brings in his work and leaves. I don't know when he'll be by."

"But I'm sure you can help me find him…" Orochi said, giving the man a meaningful glare.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Sir," the housekeeper said, bowing, "the head captain is here to see you."

Byakuya groaned inwardly. There was no question in his mind what it was about. He and Renji were all over the news and each story was merciless in questioning every move they made, everything they did…Of course, the head captain would be concerned. He steeled himself and put on a façade of calm as he walked out to the gardens to join the head captain on the patio.

"I appreciate you coming, sir," Byakuya said, sitting across from him, "It is difficult for me to come and go with so much attention being focused on my every move."

"That is why I am here," said the head captain sternly, "I won't waste my time pointing out that your decision to engage Renji Abarai, a subordinate, in a romantic relationship was a reckless and foolish decision. It is not the first time a superior officer has found himself enamored of a subordinate, but such things are risky and become a burden at times. And this is more than a burden, Captain. It is fast becoming a glaring liability."

"What would you have me do?" Byakuya said softly, "The damage is done. My relationship with Renji has never been a secret. I have merely sought to keep it private so that it would not become this very sort of distraction…but my relationship with Renji is not the main issue here. The news group is tying to commit character assassination. They want to paint me as a heartless bastard who cares nothing for my squad and uses them as both a shield and an illicit comfort! How am I supposed to deal with that?"

"I do not know, but you must do something. This situation is becoming intolerable…and if something does not happen to amend it, I may be forced to take action to stop it, myself."

He tossed the morning paper onto the table. Byakuya looked down at the picture on the front page and his eyes flared angrily. His face was partially concealed, but his haori, his hair and the background left little question as to who was in the picture or where the pictured event had occurred. The face of the shinigami whose half-dressed body was wrapped around his, was clearly revealed. And Byakuya could not believe his eyes.

"If engaging in a questionable relationship with a subordinate is unwise, engaging in that kind of activity with a different subordinate is unacceptable…unless you wish to tell me that this picture is falsified. Do you wish to deny having relations with Takashi in your office, Captain?"

His reiatsu was flaring so badly, he could barely contain it.

"Of course I'm going to deny it! It isn't true. You have my word that there has never been anything like this between Takashi and me! He was a trainee…a new addition to the squad, nothing more."

"Then, how do you explain the photograph? Are you saying…"

"I will not lie to you, Head Captain. Renji and I were in the office together…_Renji_ and I. I know the picture must have been taken yesterday, because of the background, but it has been manipulated to change who I was seen with. I apologize, of course, for the inappropriateness of what Renji and I did. I will, of course, accept punishment for that, but…I cannot have you believing I would…would do this!"

"It is not so much a matter of what I would believe, but how this will affect his family…and the image this portrays of our military. Even if the image has been altered, it will make this real in many minds…and it will compromise the honor of the 13 Court Guard Squads. I am sorry, but until a review has been completed and you are cleared, I must suspend you from duty. You are to have no contact with any squad member with the exception of Renji Abarai. It would be difficult to demand the two of you remain apart when you share a home."

Byakuya lowered his eyes and felt the emotion drain out of him.

"As you wish, Head Captain. I will obey your command," he said softly.

"Very well," said the head captain, standing, "I dare say you and Renji would have a difficult time leaving here anyway. This has spread through the Seireitei like wildfire. There are reporters waiting outside. If you leave, I'd suggest you use your fastest flash step. But…I think you might want to stay close by while this is investigated. And there is one more thing…Do not speak with Takashi's family. I will handle this. You are to avoid any contact with them."

"Do you think that's wise, Head Captain?" Byakuya asked solemnly, "Won't they wonder at my unwillingness to approach them?"

"I am more worried about a media circus surrounding any attempt for you to go to them. No…you are not to have any contact with them. If I were you, I would remain here and consider the inadvisability of your actions."

Byakuya watched silently as the head captain took his leave, then leaned forward and rested his face in his hands with his palms over his eyes. He didn't want to see that picture again…didn't want to feel the return of that awful feeling of betrayal. The suspension wouldn't have hurt him so badly, but the admonishment to remain apart from his squad and to have no contact with Takashi's family felt like an admission of guilt. He hated the thought that anyone could create and spread such lies, that people would believe them…and even if his name was cleared, some would continue to question… He swallowed hard against the sick feeling in his stomach and breathed in the calming scent of flowers and sakura that floated in the air around him.

He felt a brush of warm reiatsu and Renji's hands began to massage his shoulders from behind.

"Was that the head captain I saw?" he asked, "What did he want?"

Byakuya couldn't lift his head to answer.

Renji's eye fell on the newspaper and his hands froze.

"What the…Byakuya…what the hell is that?" he asked in a shocked whisper.

"Accusations of improper behavior with subordinates? Questionable associations with younger shinigami? Byakuya…this is bullshit! No one is going to believe this…no one. The picture is a fake…"

Byakuya looked up at him.

"It doesn't matter," he said with forced calm, "The damage has already been done. Even once the accusations are proven false…the picture is proven to be a fake, people will still doubt, Renji."

"The shinigami in our division are not going to…" Renji began.

"I've been suspended. I cannot have any contact with my squad, except for you."

Renji stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Wha…? You've been…suspended? For what?" he stammered.

"I am being investigated for improper behavior with my subordinates. I am not allowed contact with them until the investigation is complete," Byakuya said, climbing to his feet, "The head captain also warned me not to approach Takashi's family."

"But…but they're going to think that means that…"

"That I don't care…that it's an admission of guilt, I know," Byakuya sighed.

"They won't believe that…" Renji said half-heartedly, "They can't believe you would do that."

"It would explain why he threw himself in front of me…"

Renji put his hands on the noble's shoulders and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Don't do that!" he exclaimed, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"But I did," Byakuya said quietly, "I followed my heart. I fell for you…and it was wrong for me to do that because you are my subordinate."

"So…what are you saying? Byakuya…you aren't going to…you can't…leave me…right?"

Byakuya wrapped his arms around Renji and let his head rest on the redhead's shoulder.

"No…I won't leave you. It's too late for that, Renji. I just have to live with the consequences of my actions."

Renji took the noble's face in his hands.

"It's not right, Byakuya. You never laid a hand on that kid…I know you didn't," he said softly.

"But I did initiate a relationship with a subordinate…and we did use my office in an improper fashion…"

Renji let out a long breath.

"So why are you taking the heat? What about me? I was there too! Why wasn't I suspended?"

Byakuya let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Don't you get it, Renji? They just think of you as one of my victims…and besides, you weren't in the picture…"

Renji opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the arrival of a hell butterfly.

_Lord Byakuya, The Council of Elders requires your presence as soon as possible in the Council Hall for a special council meeting. Council has concerns about regarding the recent news reports about your activities and will seek ways to mitigate the fallout._

Byakuya burrowed more deeply into Renji's shoulder.

"Shit!" muttered Renji, "Just what you need!"


	4. Setup and Takedown

**Chapter 4: Setup and Takedown**

Shuji rested quietly on his bed, staring up at the photographs of Byakuya and feeling a sense of disquiet. It unnerved him that his doctored photo had been used to dishonor his Byakuya…but…the man at the paper said he was certain the accusation was true…and that they just needed the picture so people would see what happened. So what, he had reasoned, if the picture was doctored…so long as the accusation was true. But would he do it? Would his Byakuya truly do that with Takashi? If so…would he also…

He sensed a rise in reiatsu and froze. Whoever it was did not care that he would be sensed. He walked with purpose, already seeming to know that Shuji was there. He was someone powerful. Shuji came to his feet as the man appeared in the doorway.

At first, he thought it was his beloved Byakuya, coming for revenge. His heart leapt into his throat and his eyes widened. But as the man stepped into the room, Shuji could see the more angular and thinner lines of his body…and a much meaner look about him. The man was dangerous…and was obviously there about the use of his pictures. Shuji stared as the man's eyes swept over the room, studying the hundreds of photographs of the Kuchiki clan leader, then they turned and came to rest on the trembling young man who had taken them.

"You are quite a talented photographer," he said in a voice that, although not unfriendly, sent a chill down Shuji's spine.

This man was extremely dangerous.

"You seem to spend a great deal of time with your lens focused on Lord Kuchiki. And you truly seem to capture his beauty."

He stepped further into the room and looked more closely at the photos. It did not escape Shuji that the man seemed to linger over the ones doctored to include himself.

"It is difficult to tell…that some of these have been doctored…"

"If you're here about the…"

There was the hiss of a flash step and he was pushed back against the wall with the man's hand over his mouth. The glinting eyes held him spellbound and the reiatsu, so like and yet unlike Byakuya's burned against his mind.

"Shh," the man hissed softly, "I will tell you when I want you to speak."

He gazed at the pictures behind Shuji. His hands loosened slightly, but did not let go.

"Shuji, you can tell a great deal about an artist when you study his work…and we have been treated to a large number of your photographs lately. It is clear that you have a fascination with our clan leader. You seem quite devoted to capturing his every move. You have brought your entire career to rest on photographing him. That is dedication, isn't it?"

He studied Shuji's wary eyes.

"But you don't just want to photograph him, do you?"

"I…"

"Shh…the question was rhetorical. I know the answer already," he said in a soft, seductive purr.

"You would give anything for him to notice you, right?"

Shuji was wise enough to remain silent, but a shiver went through him as the man's face moved closer.

"You would love to see him up close, closer than the lens of a camera could bring you, right?"

He brought a hand to Shuji's face.

"I think you want this desperately. Your photographs cry out with affection. It isn't so much that the camera loves him…it is that you do."

The man leaned forward and Shuji could feel the soft breath on his skin. The light in the room suddenly went out and the two were standing in the darkness. Shuji found his mind replacing the image of this man, this frightening other with the powerful, beautiful image of Byakuya.

"I know exactly the content of your thoughts," the man went on, "You wish you were standing in this room with him. You wish he was the one holding you like this. You wish his eyes were the ones looking into yours, that you felt his sweet breath on your skin. You needn't answer, Shuji. Your photographs told me everything. But you have a problem, don't you?"

He closed the distance and captured the young man's lips in a very tender kiss. Shuji's heart was racing, threatening to burst. This man's eyes were frightening and his hands on Shuji left him with the feeling of being slowly suffocated. The kiss he gave Shuji was deceptively gentle, but there was a threat beneath it. Shuji didn't dare move now. The man pulled away.

"These pictures…even the ones you have placed yourself in…and the kiss I just gave you have something in common. They are stand-ins for the real thing. They will carry you for a while, but they are not real. They never will be."

He smiled and it was not a friendly smile.

"You can content yourself with falsehood, but in the long run, it will drive you mad. But you are lucky, Shuji. I have need of one such as you…one who has centered his life around Byakuya…one who can truly capture him. I think you would like to be that person. You will come to the Kuchiki Council Hall. You will do exactly as I tell you…and you will be rewarded with a position very close to my cousin…very close."

"Why?"

The snakelike eyes froze him.

"Ask no questions. You will have your heart's desire. Just be quiet and do as you are told. Do not worry about why…"

There was the sudden hiss of a flash step and the man was gone. Shuji remained pressed against the wall, the man's kiss still burning on his mouth and his very aroused member throbbing painfully.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nia continued to stare at the photograph, her eyes wet with tears.

"This can't be true, Tadashi…" she sobbed pleadingly, "He was devoted to the captain! He trained so hard just to be able to get into the Sixth Division! He gave everything to his captain!"

"Apparently so," Tadashi said angrily.

He turned and saw the pain his comment had caused and pulled his sister close.

"I'm sorry, Nia. I didn't mean to make this harder for you. But you are so naïve and trusting. So much like Takashi. He was too trusting, too. I don't want to believe this picture either. But don't you think he would be here if the allegations weren't true? Don't you think he would have said or done something if the picture was a fake? He's hiding in his mansion…afraid to face what he did…the people he hurt!"

"B-but even if the picture is real," Nia said in a choked voice, "even if there was something between them…it doesn't mean that he…"

Tadashi placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You are so kind. You want so much to believe the best of people. I know you want to see Captain Kuchiki as the great leader Takashi always did, but you have to face the facts. He lives with Renji Abarai. He wasn't going to leave his lover. He knew our brother worshipped him…and he probably was flattered. Who doesn't love being admired? Maybe he couldn't help what he did…but it was wrong. It was wrong and he needs to do the right thing and admit it! This silence…is a slap in the face!"

"But the head captain came to us personally!"

"He did it to cover for Captain Kuchiki. The military will look bad if he says nothing. Face it, Nia. Our brother was…used…used for his pleasure…and his protection. If that wasn't true, he would be here!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya entered the council chamber and sat down at the head of the table. Councilor Nori stood, his aged eyes dark and troubled as he brought the meeting to order.

"This is a special council and shall be kept to the rules of emergency council meetings. The situation with the news reports surrounding our clan leader's behavior have dishonored this clan. Something must be done. Lord Byakuya, this council will not waste time arguing with you about your very unwise decision to continue your dalliance with your male, peasant subordinate, but we must make note of the fact that Council was opposed to the union from the start. And now you see what your poor behavior has brought on. We have no choice but to take some kind of action to protect the clan. That is the focus of this meeting."

"Well I, for one, think he should end his relationship with Renji Abarai," said Councilor Hotaru, turning her glare on Byakuya, "That would certainly take away their ability to make these accusations! I said from the start that allowing these deviances from the rules would hurt the clan."

"Oh come now!" said Councilor Sora, eyeing Byakuya with a sly smile, "a man has to have his entertainment, right?"

"Not when it hurts the clan to do so," said Councilor Ryuu firmly.

Several of the other councilors nodded.

"Oh really," sighed Orochi, standing, "you think you can just tell Lord Byakuya what to do? When has that ever worked?"

"Don't start that crap about giving clan leadership to you!" Hotaru snapped, "No one wants a snake like you as a leader!"

"I wasn't going to suggest that," Orochi said, smiling.

"Oh?" said Hotaru, raising an eyebrow, "Then what are you suggesting?"

"I think that the problem is simple. We have tried so hard to hide and cover up our leader's activities that we have actually added to the problem!" he suggested.

He didn't miss Byakuya's look of mistrust.

"You see, by covering up his relationship with the peasant, we have given the impression of wrongdoing. We have made it more believable that he would fuck anyone."

"Councilor," Nori said, frowning, "you will adhere to the codes of proper language while in council."

"My apologies, Head Councilor, I merely meant to point out that we are sending a wrong impression."

"So what are you suggesting?" Orochi's brother, Hitoshi asked quietly.

Orochi smiled.

"Others have a misconception. They see our clan leader's relationship with Renji Abarai as a mere fling…a side romance on the way to eventual marriage to a woman."

"Isn't it" asked Councilor Hotaru.

Orochi's smile deepened.

"Why don't we ask him."

He turned to Byakuya.

"How serious are your feelings for Renji Abarai, Cousin? Is he the one? Or is he just good in bed?"

Byakuya glared at him and did not answer.

"It makes a difference, you know," he said quietly, "because if you aren't serious about him, it shouldn't be hard to shrug him off, especially for the good of the clan…but if you are truly in love…then perhaps this council should be doing more to present that image to the public."

"Why would this council ever want to support such scandalous activity?" asked Hotaru sharply, "We have never given public support to any clan coupling. We all know how that can blow up in our faces!"

"Well, hiding everything certainly isn't going to accomplish anything," Orochi said pointedly, "Just…hear me out. All we need to do is to mitigate this by hiring someone who excels at presenting a positive image…someone who will point out the depth of affection between Lord Byakuya and Renji Abarai. We could show the populace how…committed they are to one another. And we could focus on other positives, like how their squad has improved as they have worked together to improve it. Oh, there are lots of positives, I assure you. But we would need someone who could bring out the very best in our leader."

"We don't have time to go looking for someone to spin this, Orochi!" Hotaru snapped, "We need to act on this now!"

"And we will," Orochi assured her, his smile widening, "We don't need to search, because I have found someone who will present the best possible image of our leader…one who has a personal portfolio of thousands of stunning photographs that capture just what we want displayed."

He motioned to a young man standing in the shadows behind him. He stepped out into the council room and moved to Orochi's side. The councilor slipped an arm around the young man's shoulders.

"This is Shuji. He is a freelance photographer…and this is a portfolio of some pictures he has taken of our clan leader. Pass it around. Look at the way he is presented in each…strong, beautiful, powerful. These are good things. And these, with Renji Abarai? He isn't looking at Renji with lust. He is obviously in love with him. You see…we simply need to give Shuji and our clan spokesman time to put their heads together and come up with a series of positive presentations for the news hounds. Soon enough, we will have them begging for interviews and agreeing to whatever terms we desire. Shuji is ready to begin work today. I say we have him accompany Lord Byakuya for several days…a week, perhaps, capturing what is best about him in a much more personal way."

"No," said Byakuya firmly, "I am not going to put my relationship with Renji on public display…"

"Lord Byakuya," Orochi said, all too pleasantly, "your relationship with Renji is already on display…but the question you have to ask yourself is…Do you want everyone to keep thinking Renji is just someone you fuck…or do you want them to see you as the unfairly tormented, true lovers who you actually are?"

"Councilor," Nori said angrily, "I will not tolerate any more foul language from you in Council!"

"Sorry," he said, none too penitently, "I forgot myself. Anyway, I say we put this to a vote. I move that we hire Shuji to team with our clan spokesman to clean up this mess!"

Nori sighed.

"All in favor?"

"Opposed?"

"Very well, the motion is carried. Lord Byakuya, Shuji will stay with you at Kuchiki Manor for two weeks to complete his photography. You will cooperate with him in producing a collection of photographs and video feeds that can be used to present your…activities…in the best possible light. Council will meet again later to discuss whether or not this improves the situation. But, Orochi," the head councilor said warningly, "Council will expect quick results. We don't want this situation to get any more out of control!"

"Oh, I assure you," Orochi said, smiling, "control is not going to be a problem!"

Shuji stood in the center of the room, feeling the eyes of the council members touching on him. He ignored them all. The only thing his fevered mind would register were the stern, cold eyes of the Sixth Division captain that were focused on him as though they could see right through him.


	5. In the Spotlight

**Chapter 5: In the Spotlight**

"Captain Kuchiki," Shuji said respectfully, "I realize that the Council of Elders is putting pressure on you to do this. I understand that you don't wish to cooperate, but I will do my best to make this as positive a thing as is possible."

Byakuya nodded curtly.

"I do not hold it against you that you have been compelled to come here against my will, but you will understand if I am less than thrilled at the prospect of doing this. I don't happen to think that parading my relationship with Renji around the Seireitei is going to save my reputation…and it certainly won't help me to reassure Takashi's family that I took no dishonorable action with him."

Shuji gave him an understanding smile.

"Of course, of course. But I assure you, Captain. Presented properly, you can reassure the family that you are innocent…and that you had the deepest respect for the dedication and abilities of their son. I've outlined ideas for several articles to be run in the newspaper, as well as a few in depth magazine articles. There are sample pictures…drawings mocked up to show how I would photograph you."

Byakuya accepted the proffered portfolio and opened it, studying the pages carefully. He was at once amazed at the detail of the sketches. He was surprised at the effect of each pose on his senses. They were respectfully posed, but each captured the affection that he and Renji shared for each other perfectly. He scanned the articles and found that they focused heavily on the service that the Sixth Division performed, how the unit had grown and prospered as the captain and vice captain had joined forces to rebuild it from root to tip. As he studied the portfolio, an odd feeling of unease began to nag at him.

"Shuji," he said finally, "It is obvious that you have put a great deal of work into this. It shows in the details in the drawings as well as the proposed articles. But I have a question. How did you come by the depth of information to produce this? It is obvious that the one who prepared this has a wealth of knowledge about me."

Shuji nodded.

"Yes…it is my job to quickly assemble and make use of vast amounts of information. I conducted research in the archives of the main library and I was also given access to certain files at the Kuchiki Council Hall."

"Ah yes…Orochi would have seen to that. Which brings up another question…How did Orochi come across you?"

Shuji smiled widely.

"Your cousin noticed some of my photographs that were printed in the papers and magazines and he approached the newspaper administrator to locate me," he explained.

Byakuya nodded.

"I see why he noticed your work."

"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki. Now, if you and Renji will come with me, we can begin the photo shoot."

Byakuya motioned for Renji to join him and followed the photographer to the top of the waterfall, where Shuji stopped them. Byakuya was immediately uncomfortable with the presence of such invasive equipment. Shuji noted the look in his eyes and smiled encouragingly.

"Captain," he said, "the best thing to do in these situations is to try to ignore the equipment and imagine you are here alone with Renji. It will feel strange, at first, but soon you will adjust to the presence of the camera."

Byakuya nodded, but did not seem to be all that convinced. At Shuji's direction, he knelt beneath the sakura tree. The photographer stepped in close to him.

"With your permission, sir," Shuji said, I will need to make adjustments to your position."

Byakuya nodded.

He felt an odd, unsettled feeling as the photographer slipped a hand beneath his chin, tilting his head slightly, then looked directly down into his eyes for a moment. He made several other small adjustments, then positioned Renji beside him. He returned to Byakuya and adjusted the angle of his face again. Byakuya fought down the urge to flinch.

"Take a breath and let the tension out," the photographer said, his eyes gazing warmly down into Byakuya's, "Just imagine that it is late afternoon, and you and Renji have come here to relax beneath the trees, to listen to the sound of the water falling and to focus your attention on each other. Try to let go of everything else, to forget that I am here."

Byakuya felt Renji's hand slide into his and the tension melted away. Shuji smiled approvingly and the camera sounded again and again. Byakuya settled more firmly against Renji and tried to lose himself in the cool breezes of the afternoon, in the soft, sweet scent of sakura and in the splash of the water beneath the falls. Still, the camera sounded repeatedly, leaving him with that odd, unsettled feeling again.

"We are finished with this setting," Shuji said finally, "I have enough to work with for today. I will go back to the manor and develop the ones I took today, then make arrangements for tomorrow."

Byakuya and Renji remained beneath the sakura trees as he left, watching him disappear down the trail. Byakuya waited until he was sure that Shuji was out of hearing range, then turned to Renji with concern in his eyes.

"He makes you uncomfortable," Renji said, reading his expression.

"Yes," Byakuya acknowledged softly, dropping to his knees beneath the tree again.

He stared out over the water, over the meadow beyond, then up into the cloudless blue sky.

"I don't know why…or exactly what it is. But Renji, there is something about him that I just don't trust."

Renji nodded in agreement.

"Well…first off, remember who found the guy. You told me that your cousin Orochi has been wanting to oust you as clan leader and take control for ages. There's good reason to question anyone connected with him."

The redhead paused, gazing down to watch a deer grazing calmly beneath the trees below them.

"Even without that…there was something I felt when he touched you."

Byakuya looked up at him, almost smiling.

"That was jealousy…" he said, smirking.

"Jealousy?" Renji said narrowing his eyes and dropping down in front of Byakuya, "Why in the world would I need to be jealous?"

He wrapped his arms around Byakuya and nuzzled his way beneath the noble's chin.

"I don't need to be jealous, because I know what there is between us, Byakuya. It took years for it to happen…and it's a damned miracle it happened at all. I know that when I look at you. What's between us took years to form…and we had to break through so many barriers to make it all happen…"

He lifted his eyes, bringing his lips close to the noble's.

"Something like that wouldn't be thrown away by either of us. No other person could just come in and take hold of your heart, Byakuya. I'm lucky you ever opened up to me. But that took trust…and it took time…and it doesn't happen every day."

Byakuya closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Renji's, tightening his arms around the redhead. He slipped his fingers into the red hair and pulled the hair tie free, releasing the long strands to float on the breezes around them. He stared warmly into the deep brown eyes and felt the tension seep away. As it left him, he sank into the long, slow kisses, feeling the rise of reiatsu and a heated stirring within him. He deepened the kisses, placing his hands on either side of the redhead's face and holding him there as he thrust his tongue into Renji's mouth, searching out his and curling seductively around it. Renji moaned softly and let his weight fall back, pulling Byakuya down to rest on top of him. The dark haired captain continued to eagerly plunder his mouth as the redhead's hands moved to loosen their clothing. Byakuya's mouth broke away from his and dropped to his throat as the noble attacked the dark markings that ran down its length, teasing them with lips and tongue, then shifting slightly and biting down on the tanned skin of Renji's throat.

"Ah…hey…ah, Bya…Byakuya," Renji said, a bit breathlessly, "Sh-shouldn't we move this indoors? I mean, I feel kind of…I don't know, exposed out here…what, with that photographer slinking around. I know he's on our side, but he still kind of gives me the creeps."

"We'll go back in a bit, Renji," the dark haired captain said, nuzzling his throat and biting down again, "I want to watch the sunset with you."

Byakuya stretched his body along Renji's side and rested his head on the redhead's muscular chest. The two gazed up into the sky, exchanging deep, slow kisses as the light faded and the sun set in the distance. Around them, the sakura leaves floated gently down and the water splashed hypnotically.

It was just loud enough to hide the sound of a camera as it took shot after shot of the couple rested beneath the tree. Shuji was careful to stop before the flashbulb gave him away. He slipped back through the forest to the manor and returned to the workroom the captain had ordered set up for him. He remained there, developing photographs until the dinner call came. Before he left, he slipped the more intimate photos into a portfolio that he carefully hid beneath his bed. He looked back to make sure that nothing incriminating remained in the open, then flash stepped away.

Byakuya left the bathroom and moved out into the dressing area, shaking the water out of his hair. He turned toward the open closet and reached for a robe. As he moved, a pair of arms wrapped around him and he felt the towel fall away. A warm mouth teased the skin where neck and shoulder met, and a hand slid down his abdomen, slipping into the tangle of dark curls beneath and taking hold of his swiftly reacting member. He let his head fall back to rest on a muscular shoulder and settled his weight against the body behind him as one hand gently stroked each erect nipple and the other wrapped around his thickening erection and slid slowly up and down its length. Byakuya moaned softly, letting his eyes open slightly so that he could see Renji in the mirror in front of him. He caught his breath sharply as he saw, not Renji's face, but Shuji's.

Swiftly, he turned and pushed the other away.

"Hey!" Renji's voice cried as he tumbled to the floor, "what the hell was that for?"

Byakuya stood, staring. He blinked several times, then looked back at the mirror as Renji climbed to his feet. His heart was pounding madly. He was sure of what he had seen…but…

He grabbed a robe and wrapped it around himself, tying it at the waist as Renji stepped closer and watched as Byakuya gathered himself. The noble took a slow breath and released it in a shaky sigh.

"I'm sorry, Renji," he said, his eyes straying to the mirror again, "I don't know what happened. I mean, I knew it was you. I know what your touch feels like, but…"

"Byakuya, what happened?" Renji asked, slipping an arm around him, "You looked like you were seeing a monster."

Byakuya swallowed hard.

"I…perhaps it is the stress of having a stranger in my home. I just feel…uncomfortable."

"Well…next time you want me to stop, warn me before you go and shove me like that!" Renji said good-naturedly.

His smile faded as he noticed the seriousness of Byakuya's expression. The noble was looking into the mirror again. Renji slipped a hand into his.

"C'mon," he said, pulling gently, "we should get to bed. It's been a pretty stressful day."

"And it isn't likely to get any better any time soon," Byakuya sighed, following Renji to the bed.

Byakuya slid into bed next to the redhead and curled into his arms, resting his head on a warm shoulder. Renji turned his head and caught his lips in a light, gentle kiss and Byakuya settled more closely against him.

"I hate this," Byakuya whispered, "this feeling of suspicion that's hanging in the air around me. I can't begin to imagine what Takashi's family is thinking of me. I know the head captain went to them…but that isn't what they needed. They needed to hear from me that I would never have done anything to dishonor their son…or to misuse his devotion to me. And what about our squad, Renji?"

"Don't worry about the squad," Renji assured him, "You might not be able to speak to them, to tell them what's going on, but I did talk to them. I told them it's a crock of shit and that you would never do anything like what you're being accused of. But it doesn't even matter what anyone thinks, Byakuya. You and I know the truth. We both know this whole thing is bullshit."

Byakuya sighed.

"Unfortunately, knowing that won't absolve me in people's minds…or calm the council…or get that photographer out of my home. I'm worried, Renji. I'm worried about what will happen when those articles come out."

"Well don't," Renji said, kissing him, "It will be okay. And whatever happens, we'll get through it, Byakuya."

Byakuya lifted himself and settled onto Renji's chest. His fingertips traced the dark markings on his tanned skin. He nuzzled into the redhead's throat, following the tattoos there with warm lips. He felt the tie at his waist pull free and Renji's hands pushed the soft fabric off of his shoulders and down his back. The redhead's hands seemed to warm, not just the pale skin they touched, but everything beneath as well. Byakuya sighed and rested his head over Renji's heart, listening to the steady pulse of it and enjoying the feel of the hands that stroked the skin of his back and curved down over his posterior, then returned up the length of his back and sank into his still-damp hair.

He could feel the heat and the growing thickness of Renji's arousal against his abdomen, so he moved upward, bringing his own to brush against the redhead's. Renji moaned and lifted his hips, seeking more contact. Byakuya thrust warmly against him in response and was rewarded with another contented moan and a sharp nip to his throat. He pushed himself upward and parted his thighs, straightening and positioning himself over the redhead. He slowly lowered himself onto Renji's swollen member, then calmly laced their fingers together. Renji brought their interlaced hands to his chest and held them there, gently supporting the dark haired captain's upper body weight. Byakuya began a slow, intense thrusting, tightening his hands on Renji's as the motion of his hips intensified. Renji moaned louder and thrust upward as the noble's hips fell toward his, deepening the penetration and sending a shiver of pleasure through Byakuya.

Renji smiled at Byakuya's peaceful expression, the half-lidded eyes and almost smiling mouth, the tilt of his head and the soft, pleasant sounds he made. He reached down and took hold of the noble's hips, urging them to rise and fall faster and with more force.

The noble's lips parted and he panted softly as they continued to move together. Renji's hand wrapped around him and caressed him as their bodies thrust faster and harder against each other and they both became breathless. The redhead's hands gripped Byakuya's hips, holding them as he thrust upward forcefully, three times in quick succession. Byakuya gasped and fell forward, catching himself on trembling arms as he released, spilling hot seed onto Renji's skin. Renji thrust upward into the incredible tightness, emptying himself into his lover's hot core, then pulling the still-trembling body above him down and burying the noble's perfect mouth in kisses.

Outside the garden doors, Shuji hid in the bushes and watched the exchange, carefully recording every move, then he slipped back through the darkness to his room. He laid in bed, playing and replaying their lovemaking…in his mind replacing the red haired vice captain's face with his own. He wrapped his hand around his thick member and tried to imagine what it was like to be buried in that sweet tightness, to feel the heaving breaths of the dark haired captain touch his skin, to feel the explosion of hot seed onto his skin and hear the sweet sounds of Byakuya's moans as he climaxed.

Just the very thought pushed him over the edge and sent his mind spinning into oblivion.


	6. Falling Soul

**Chapter 6: Falling**

Byakuya jumped awake as he felt the bed move. A sharp gasp escaped him, then he felt Renji's arms around him.

"Hey…" Renji said, bringing a hand to his face, "you're kinda jumpy this morning. You should go back to sleep for a while longer. You'll feel better."

He kissed Byakuya warmly, then stood.

"I'm going to the office. There's some kind of problem I've gotta solve…some reports that I have to locate and send out. I'll be back in an hour or two. There's tea for you by the bed. Try to take it easy, okay? You almost jumped out of your skin when I sat down."

Byakuya nodded wordlessly and picked up the teacup. He sipped at it, then dropped back onto the pillows and dozed off again.

He woke a short time later, feeling the odd sensation of being watched. He reached over and sipped at the tea again, trying to push away the nagging feeling. His mind drifted back to the night before…the photographer's face in the mirror…

He reached over and picked up the tea again. He finished the rest of it and slowly stood. There was an odd feeling sweeping over him…a strange dizziness. He took a few slow breaths and stepped over to the dressing area. He studied his reflection in the mirror, then the mirror itself. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. He just felt a sense of something being off. Not finding anything unusual, he reached for his shihakushou.

His eye caught motion in the mirror and he turned to look at it. He caught his breath sharply.

He saw Shuji's reflection again.

He started to turn, but another wave of dizziness passed over him. A pair of arms wrapped around him as his legs collapsed beneath him and he felt himself being lifted and carried. He was set back on the bed and lowered gently onto the pillows. He tried to move, but his body refused to respond.

"N-no…Let go…" he moaned.

"Shh," a soft voice said, "relax…"

He tried to see who it was who had caught him and carried him to bed. But his vision was oddly distorted and the voice sounded muddled and distant. There were hands on him…untying the belt at his waist, pushing back the soft material. Sharp flashes of light blinded him.

"Renji…" he moaned thickly.

A hot mouth fastened on his and he felt a probing tongue force itself between his lips and into his mouth. The strange flashes of light continued, burning his eyes, removing what sight he had left as the tongue stroked his relentlessly. Strange hands touched his face and stroked him beneath the chin. He moaned in protest as they slid down his body, touching everywhere. Fingers slid into his hair and the mouth forced itself more firmly to his. The touches grew more and more intimate.

Dizziness swept through him again and someone settled onto the bed beside him. The bed moved again and he could feel a body settle onto his. The mouth left his and traveled slowly down his face and throat, then hands and mouth fell onto his chest, exploring the area hungrily.

"S-stop…" he gasped.

But the hands and mouth kept moving downward and when he gained enough control to push at them, one palm rose to his face and sent a shock of power through him, catapulting him into darkness.

Shuji hissed softly in discontent as Byakuya's body went limp beneath his. He hadn't intended for the captain to lose consciousness completely. It meant that Byakuya's body would not respond to his touches any more. He groaned at the hard throbbing in his loins, but knew better than to actually take Byakuya. There would be too much evidence left behind. Instead, he rubbed his hardened member against the captain's, intensifying the pressure until he was near climax. He grabbed a small towel he had brought along and used it to capture his release, then he carefully cleaned away every trace of his presence there.

He was thankful for the training he had done in covert operations. He knew about a variety of drugs and their exact effects and duration. He knew how to set up reflective mirrors and relays to produce effects like the one he had created in Byakuya's mirror. He knew how to erase reiatsu and physical traces and to leave a scene so clean that no one would know he had ever been there. He chuckled softly, knowing that when Byakuya Kuchiki woke, he wasn't going to know what happened or who did it. He wouldn't even be certain that anything had happened.

And now Shuji had a taste of him…and photographs and video to remind him…and they were real this time. There was no need for him to fake this…

"Perfect," he whispered, leaning over to kiss Byakuya, "you are the most beautiful shinigami I've ever seen, touched…kissed, Byakuya. And if I have my way, the next time we won't have to stop before the main event. I was clumsy and put too much force into the kido…otherwise, you would have enjoyed it more. Too bad you won't remember this. It was fun, Byakuya!"

He checked the room carefully to see that all traces of his passing had been removed, then slipped into the bushes outside the door and worked his way back to his own room.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya?"

Renji's voice broke through the fog in his mind, but still seemed far away. He moaned and turned in the direction of the sound and felt his lover's hands touch his face. He flinched involuntarily.

"Hey, what was that? Why did you pull away from me?" Renji said, sounding closer, "Byakuya, are you all right?"

He sat up and was immediately sorry as a wave of nausea swept through him. He clenched his abdomen and leaned forward. Renji wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Take it easy for a minute. I'll get you some tea."

He shook his head and was struck by another wave of nausea.

"No…I…want you to stay," he said drowsily.

"Renji rubbed his back, gazing at him worriedly.

"What's going on? First of all, you never sleep this late and secondly, you are as white as a ghost! What happened while I was gone?"

Byakuya blinked to clear his eyes.

"I…was sleeping."

"Yeah," said Renji, furrowing his brow, "I can see that. But it's almost noon, Byakuya."

"When did you leave?" he asked sleepily.

"Hours ago," Renji answered, studying him carefully, "I would have been back sooner, but I had some trouble finding the reports that needed to be sent out. Sorry. But it doesn't look like you were awake enough to miss me."

"I guess not," Byakuya yawned.

"You should go have a shower. I'll make some tea and be back when you're done, okay?"

He started to rise, but was stopped by a warm hand that took hold of his arm.

"Renji…" he said uncertainly, "I…"

He was interrupted by the arrival of a hell butterfly.

"Ah hell! Not another one!" Renji moaned, "Damn things won't leave me alone today!"

_Vice Captain Abarai, the twelfth division is asking for our living world postings so that they can coordinate their activities with the presence of some of our squad specialists when they are assigned to the living world._

Renji groaned.

"Damn it! They know I don't finish postings this much ahead of time!"

"I'm always telling you that you should," Byakuya said, smirking, "perhaps you'll listen next time."

"Well, nice to see you're acting more like yourself, I guess!" Renji huffed, "All right, I have to go back to work now, honey. I'll try not to be too late for dinner."

He leaned over and kissed Byakuya.

"You going to be okay, now?" he asked in a more serious tone.

Byakuya nodded.

"I'm fine, Renji. I'm just not used to having so much free time. I'll just get dressed and go for a long walk. That will clear my head."

"Okay," Renji said, grinning, "just don't talk to strangers and be back before dark!"

He gave the noble another quick kiss.

"Stay out of trouble," he laughed.

"Abarai, who exactly do you think you're speaking to?" Byakuya said, looking annoyed.

Renji just laughed again and flash stepped away, leaving a less than amused Byakuya frowning and shaking his head in annoyance.

He stepped into the dressing area and quickly dressed in a comfortable kimono. He made a point of facing away from the mirror as he dressed and made a mental note to have the mirror removed. He didn't really need it in the dressing area anyway.

He had just finished dressing when a hell butterfly fluttered into the room and landed on his extended finger. He recognized the voice immediately.

_Captain Kuchiki, I need to speak to you on a matter of greatest urgency. This is in regards to my brother Takashi and how his death is affecting his twin, Tadashi. I do not wish for publicity any more than you do, so I would ask that you meet me in the lower level of the research building at the twelfth division. I prefer that you come alone. The less people who are involved, the better things will be._

Byakuya considered the message carefully. To comply with Nia's request, he would be forced to disobey the direct order of the head captain. But he had already held himself away from the family of the fallen shinigami for too long. The girl had promised discretion…had in fact, been eager to avoid attention. If it was done quietly, no one need know he had met with her. And he knew in his heart that he really needed to go. Despite the head captain's good intentions, Byakuya knew that it had been wrong for him to avoid Takashi's family for this long. He should have argued the point with the head captain…should have done something much, much sooner.

He whispered a reply to the hell butterfly and looked around. There appeared to be no one nearby who was aware of him. He turned quickly and flash stepped away. He flash stepped at top speed, eager to avoid attention

When he reached the twelfth division, he slipped to the back of the building and slipped in through the lower entrance.

He didn't notice the hooded form that followed him inside.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya blinked and strained his eyes slightly, trying to adjust to the general darkness of the lower level of the research building. In truth, he despised the twelfth division all together, but he supposed that despite the dark nature of many of the inventions that came out of this place, the twelfth did offer some things of great usefulness…but at what cost? There were always disturbing accidents…and some things that happened were not accidents. He shivered softly. He would have been happier if they could have met somewhere else, anywhere else! But he was already in the building…and the area he was in appeared to be deserted. He stepped into the large inventor's room and waited for his eyes to adjust.

"Captain Kuchiki," Nia's voice said.

He looked around. The girl was nowhere to be seen.

"Nia?" he said softly.

"I need to make certain that we have privacy," she said softly, Step into the isolation booth across the room."

He crossed the room, reaching out with his reiatsu and sensing her nearby. But he couldn't seem to locate her exact position. He stepped forward into the isolation booth. He looked around inside and found himself alone. He felt a sudden twinge of warning. He flash stepped toward the door, reaching it just as it slammed shut, locking him in.

"Nia?" he said more forcefully, "Nia, what is happening?"

A red light began to pulse within the room and Byakuya felt his spiritual pressure drain away. A feeling of weakness passed over him and he dropped to his knees on the floor.

"What are you doing?" he gasped.

A hooded form stepped out of the darkness. Byakuya stared as a slim hand rose up and pulled the hood away. He gasped in surprise as the face of Tadashi appeared.

"Where is Nia?" Byakuya asked, "What happened to her?"

Tadashi laughed.

"She was never here. I used a voice modulator…handy little tool. You see, I had to bring you here so that my dear sister could warn you that I had gone off the deep end! I lured you here so that I could get you to confess to what you did, so that you could apologize…so that you could begin to atone."

"Tadashi…"

"Shut up!" screamed the young man, "My brother was a kind, gentle shinigami who was completely devoted to you. He did anything and everything to please his captain…anything and everything. But that wasn't enough for you, was it? It wasn't enough to know that he loved you and would have done anything you asked. You probably enjoyed it. Kami knows the things you asked him to do!"

"Tadashi, I never…"

"Don't lie to me!" the young man screamed.

The red light in the room pulsed harder and brighter and Byakuya felt the weight of spiritual pressure pushing down on him. He found it was getting hard to breathe and felt dampness rising on his skin.

"I am not stupid. I know you're lying! I read the article and I saw the picture!"

"It was a fake," Byakuya gasped, "That never happened!"

"Wrong! You must think I'm a fool! But I know, Captain Kuchiki…I know that if you were telling the truth…if you were innocent…you would have come to us."

"Tadashi, I never abused Takashi's trust. I swear it!" Byakuya insisted.

"Perhaps," the young man said, appearing to regain his composure, "but perhaps not. I guess there's only one thing to do. There's a chance that you may be innocent…so I will give you a chance to escape my vengeance. We are going to play a game, Captain. You will be made over into a human. You will be set down in Karakura Town. I will come in search of you. If I find you before you escape the human form, I will kill you. If you manage to evade me, you can try to return to your shinigami form…but I warn you…This human form is experimental. It does not respond well to large amounts of spirit energy. It is volatile and subject to failure. And the process by which you might regain your form is complicated. There is a chance you will return…just like there is a chance you are innocent. But it isn't much of a chance…just so you know."

"Tadashi!"

"No more words, Captain," the youth said softly, "My brother died for you. Now you will die for being the death of him. And he will be avenged."

The red light in the room flared and pulsed more strongly around Byakuya. He gasped harder as he felt the spiritual pressure rise around him. The light slowly became blinding and the heat in the small room became unbearable. Byakuya felt a sensation like he was being slowly suffocated. He strained against it, trying to work his way back to the door of the isolation chamber, but the weight became too much. He collapsed near the door, unable to move under the crushing weight of the spiritual pressure. Tadashi's voice echoed strangely in his mind.

"Hang on Captain…" he said ominously, "You're about to take a fall!"

He felt a sensation like the floor had dropped out beneath him and then he was falling through the blackness.

Tadashi watched as Byakuya's body shimmered and then disappeared into the precipice world. It would take only a few minutes for it to arrive in the world of the living. After that, the game would begin. Tadashi slipped his zanpakutou into the belt at his waist and turned off all of the equipment. He slipped into the shadows and disappeared from the room. A few minutes later, Shuji pulled the hood away from his face and peeked out from behind a stack of boxes. Seeing no one was there, he opened a door into the living world. As he passed through, he reached out with his senses, trying to locate any sign of the captain. He sensed a soft flutter that he thought could be from Byakuya and flash stepped toward it.

It led him to a small park, where a group of people were gathered. They leaned over an unconscious man, speaking in hushed, urgent tones. An ambulance arrived and paramedics burst out and rushed to the fallen man's side. Shuji moved closer and smiled as the man's face was revealed. He stepped forward.

"Byakuya!" he called frantically, trying to push past the paramedics. One of them grabbed his arm.

"Do you know him?" the man asked.

"Of course I know him!" he snapped, "What happened to him?"

"He's unconscious," the paramedic said, leaning over him, "We'll need to take him to the hospital for observation and treatment."

"Can I come with you?" Shuji asked.

"Well," said the paramedic, "Since you know him and we need to know who he is, I guess you should come along."

Shuji smiled and followed the paramedic as they loaded Byakuya into the waiting ambulance.


	7. Waking up Alive

**Chapter 7: Waking Up Alive**

Byakuya groaned and tried in vain to force his eyes open. His body felt strangely heavy and sluggish. His head throbbed painfully and left him feeling shaky and nauseous.

"Can you hear me, Byakuya?" an echoing voice said.

"B-Byakua?" he gasped questioningly.

"He's coming around, but he's not lucid just yet. So…you say he has had one of these episodes before?"

"Yes, I'm afraid he has," said a soft, somehow familiar voice, "a couple of times. We don't know why it happens."

Byakuya managed to open his eyes. The room was fuzzy and dark at first, but slowly began to resolve around him. Gradually, one big blur became a white-clad doctor. The other…the other…

Byakuya felt a squeezing sensation in his chest as the other man stepped closer and looked down at him. His chest heaved with the effort of breathing and sweat broke out on his forehead. The man with the doctor gave him a look of understanding and backed away. As he did, the weight on his body eased and Byakuya found that he could move again. He took several slow, deep breaths.

"Well," said the other man, "I will need to go home and prepare for him to stay with me. He lives alone and will not be able to care for himself for a few days."

"Very well, then," said the doctor, leaning over him.

He looked down into Byakuya's eyes.

"So you're awake now," he said kindly, "Do you know where you are?"

"I know that you are a doctor," Byakuya answered as a light was shone into his eyes.

It triggered a memory. He remembered lying on a bed, unable to move. A light was flashing again and again…

"Byakuya?" said the doctor, recapturing his attention, "Do you know what city you are in?"

He shook his head.

"You are in Karakura Town, Central Hospital. Does it sound familiar to you?"

Byakuya thought deeply. Karakura Town…It did sound familiar.

"I am not certain," he admitted, "though it does sound familiar."

He tried to sit up, but the doctor pushed him back gently. Byakuya felt a sick, dizzy feeling sweep through him again. He let his head fall back on the pillow.

"Byakuya, do you remember if something caused you to lose consciousness?" the doctor asked.

"No," Byakuya replied, looking up at him, "I remember flashes of things, but everything is hazy, like it happened to someone else."

The doctor nodded.

"Well, that happens sometimes. I want you to remain here tonight so that we can monitor you and see if we can figure out what caused this to happen to you. We know from your friend that…"

"Renji?" Byakuya blurted out, then he stopped, wondering where the name had come from.

"Almost," the doctor said, smiling, "Shuji. He just went to prepare his home for you to stay with him while you recover. You should not be left alone for a few days. Rest now, Byakuya. You just need to rest and let everything come back to you. The nurse will be by to check on you during the night. If you need anything, she will help you."

"Arigatou," Byakuya said, closing his eyes again.

But he could not sleep. He was trying too hard to remember. There were flashes, bits and pieces…some faces and voices. He remembered sakura trees…a waterfall…something soft touching his skin…a pair of warm brown eyes…falling. None of it made sense.

"How are you feeling, Mr., uh, Mr. Kuchiki?"

"C-call me Byakuya," he said, flinching at the touch of the cold stethoscope.

"Okay then, Byakuya. How are you feeling now?" she went on, briefly shining a light into his eyes.

Byakuya winced and tried to turn his head away from the light. The nurse smiled patiently and put a hand on his face to hold his head steady. She tried again to shine the light in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a kind voice, "Does the light hurt your eyes?"

He didn't know what to say about the memory it triggered. He swallowed hard and held still while she checked each eye, then moved on to check his temperature and blood pressure.

"You have lovely eyes, Byakuya," the nurse said, smiling, "Do you get them from your mother or your father?"

He tried to come up with an image, but nothing came to him.

"I…ah…"

"Oh, it's okay," the nurse went on, "Doctor Hitomi said that you were still a bit confused. I was just checking to see if you were lucid. You seem clear enough, but…are you having trouble remembering things?"

Byakuya sighed and nodded.

"Oh, well that should fade. You should be remembering things soon enough! Don't worry. Now, just lie back and rest for a bit. I'll be back later to make sure you're comfortable."

"Arigatou," Byakuya said softly.

The nurse's eyes twinkled merrily.

"You are very sweet, Byakuya. You have better manners than most of the men I watch over in here. Some of them are downright barbaric…but you…"

She brushed a hand against his cheek and Byakuya remembered the sensation. But it wasn't a feminine hand he remembered. The skin was rougher and tanned.

"Sleep well, Byakuya," the nurse said, putting out the light.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I think this is what you're looking for," Kisuke said, smiling at Shuji, "one handy, dandy little spirit energy moderator…for those shinigami/human couples troubled by issues of spirit energy sensitivity. I guarantee this will make her able to stand in your presence again!"

He laughed at Shuji's confused expression.

"It was a joke…you know, cause the spirit energy makes 'em fall down and kneel, get it?"

"Ah, yes," Shuji said, smiling briefly, "Thank you, Mr. Urahara. This is just what I needed, "He…I mean, she shouldn't have any more problems being close to me."

"Yeah," Kisuke said, grinning, "I know Soul Society frowns on us playing house with the humans, but some humans are just too much too resist, you know?"

"Yes," Shuji said, a flush coming to his cheeks, "Thanks again. I must go. My love awaits."

Kisuke watched as the man turned and hurried out the door.

"Go get her, Slick," he said, chuckling.

"What was that?" a voice said from somewhere behind him.

"Kisuke's smile widened.

"Ichigo! I thought you were busy today. What brings you over this way?"

Ichigo gave him a charming grin.

"I was kinda in the mood for some training," he said, flash stepping closer.

Kisuke's eyes narrowed.

"You want to train, eh? What kind of training are you in the mood for?"

"Ah…I dunno. You got any new tricks you can show me?" Ichigo said playfully.

Kisuke slipped an arm around the substitute shinigami and nipped at his lips.

"Let me see if I can get Tessai to watch the shop, then I'll show you all the tricks you want to see!"

They turned toward the kitchen, but stopped short as a hell butterfly fluttered toward them.

"Ah, hell!" Ichigo muttered, "Don't those guys ever take a day off?"

"It's for you, apparently," Kisuke said, frowning.

The butterfly settled on Ichigo's fingertip.

_Ichigo, there's trouble here. Byakuya is missing. No one saw him leave the manor, so we don't know when he left. Something else is weird. There's a photographer who was working on some articles and photo layouts with us in them and he's gone too. I'm worried that he did something to Byakuya because we found some really revealing pictures and video of Byakuya hidden in his room. The guy's a freak! Rukia is on assignment there, so we need the two of you to keep an eye out for anything unusual…and we need you to let us know if you sense Byakuya's reiatsu._

Ichigo looked up at Kisuke.

"Damn…Byakuya's missing? I guess I'd better go and find Rukia. She's probably going to want to spend all night looking for him…"

"Do you blame her? He is her brother, after all."

Kisuke turned his head and stared out the window with a troubled expression. Ichigo's brow furrowed questioningly.

"What's up?" he asked, "Does it have something to do with Byakuya?"

"Don't know…" Kisuke said, chewing his lower lip for a moment, "It's just that there was a guy in here…photographer. Had a real nice camera…expensive. And he was talking a lot about stuff he'd photographed. He didn't mention Byakuya, but…"

"What was he buying?"

"Spirit energy moderator."

Ichigo gave him a questioning look.

"It's a device that reduces the effect of spirit energy on people who can't tolerate it. Doesn't sound like something that relates to Byakuya. Still…"

"You got a feeling about him?"

"Not sure…He just kind of left an odd taste in my mouth, you know?"

"Did he say where he was from?" Ichigo asked.

"Nah," Kisuke replied, shaking his head, "but he did mention that he was picking up his friend at the hospital…Karakura Central, I think he said."

Ichigo nodded.

"Well, it isn't much, but it's something. Tell you what. I'll get Rukia and we'll check out the hospital. If the photographer guy is there, maybe we can follow him."

"You want me to contact Renji? Tell him what's up?"

Ichigo considered the idea for a moment.

"No," he said finally, "If it turns out to be something, then we can send a hell butterfly. We don't want him wasting time here if it's nothing."

Kisuke nodded.

"Okay, get outta here. I've got work to do. I think I'll find Yoruichi and send her back to track the reiatsu. The only one close to Byakuya at tracking reiatsu is Yoruichi. If anyone can pick up his trail, she can."

"Rukia and I will come back as soon as we've checked out that hospital."

Kisuke nodded, then watched, sighing, as the shinigami flash stepped away.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji walked slowly around the bedroom, carefully searching, but uncertain what he was looking for. Nothing jumped out at him right away. Everything seemed to be in order, but something seemed off.

"Damn!" he muttered, "I hate sucking at sensing reiatsu!" He stepped into the dressing area and found Byakuya's nightclothes hanging over the edge of the clothes hamper. He touched the fabric and felt an inexplicable shiver run through him.

"Something…" he whispered, picking up the clothing.

He studied it carefully, reading the reiatsu traces. He quickly came to the conclusion that there was an odd reiatsu trace on the soft fabric. It was barely readable, but…

"Wait…wait…I know this…"

He searched the room again, looking for the same reiatsu pattern. His head throbbed from the effort, but he continued looking until he had found several more traces. Next to one, he found an odd looking device that he decided must be some kind of reflection device. He searched more thoroughly and found several more. He tested the reflection and felt a sick feeling pass through him. The way they were set up, someone could stand outside in the doors and send a reflection through the relays and into the mirror.

"Shit! He wasn't seeing things! He was seeing that sick fucker standing outside of our bedroom!"

He looked worriedly out into the garden.

"Damn it, Byakuya! Where did he take you?"

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya watched the nurse walk out and waited until he was sure she was out of range of sight and hearing. He climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. His ears rang a bit and he still felt unsteady, but he also felt unnerved. He didn't like the looks they were giving him. He still remembered little more than scattered images and a few names. He had no idea where he came from, how he had gotten to the park, why he'd gone there or why he lost consciousness. Everything was a blur. He worried that the doctor would think he had lost his mind. He didn't want to end up confined to a mental facility, so he decided it would be better to slip away. He tried to open the window, but found that it was locked. He walked to the closet and found his clothing. As he dressed, he kept an eye on the door. It was fairly late at night and the nurses were at the desk, speaking in soft voices.

Byakuya worked his way slowly down the hall, using whatever cover he could find. He had to slip in behind a clothes bin and wait for a few minutes while one of the nurses spoke to a security guard. He heard the guard leave and listened as he waited for an opening to slip out the door.

"What do you think they'll do with the cutie in 314?" one asked the other quietly, "He's just gorgeous…and so quiet, too…just what I like in a man."

"Oh, well since he can't remember anything, I think they'll send him to Psych tomorrow for an evaluation."

"But what about the guy who came in with him?"

"Well…he isn't family, so unless he starts making some kind of sense, we have to keep him in Psych for treatment."

"That's no place for a sweetie like him," one nurse said softly, "The ones that really belong down there would eat him alive. I hope he starts remembering something. I'd hate to see him taken down there!"

Byakuya crawled past the desk and made his way to the stairwell. As soon as he was on the stairs, he abandoned all stealth and broke into a run. His body ached in protest, but the adrenaline had control of him. All he could think about was getting out of that place. He couldn't even consider which way to go. There was time for that later, when he had broken free of the hospital.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door into the lobby. No one seemed to notice him, so he walked calmly out the front doors, then turned to start down the street. As he stepped away, strong arms wrapped around him from behind. He struggled madly as a calm voice sounded in his ear.

"Hey, it's just me…" the man holding him said.

Byakuya felt relief run through his body, leaving him limp and tired in the other's arms.

"Renji…"

He turned toward the man holding him and a bolt of fear passed through him. It was the man who had claimed to know him. But…if he was a friend, then why did he feel such fear?"

"Shuji," the man said, turning him away from the hospital, "It's Shuji. You're just confused, Byakuya. Come with me. I'll take care of you."

"They were going to lock me up!" Byakuya said, leaning against Shuji.

Shuji slipped his arm around Byakuya's waist.

"Don't you worry about anything, Byakuya. They won't find you…no one will. I have you now and no one is going to take you away from me!"


	8. Traces

**Chapter 8: Traces**

"You didn't eat very much, Byakuya," Shuji said quietly, "You're not going to feel better if you don't take care of yourself."

He stared hungrily as Byakuya pushed the fall of dark hair away from his left eye. Byakuya felt a soft shiver pass through him. There was something unsettling about the way that Shuji looked at him…but it wasn't as though the man had done anything wrong. In fact, he had been kind enough to provide Byakuya with a room, clothing and food so that he could avoid the doctors who had wanted to send him to the Psychology Ward. He hadn't demanded or even asked for anything in return…and he hadn't taken any specific action that would explain why Byakuya felt uncomfortable being alone with him.

"Here's some fresh tea," he said, handing him a teacup.

Byakuya froze for a moment as he accepted the cup. He remembered…

"_Here you go, Captain."_

_A warm tanned hand placed the cup in his hands._

"_Arigato, Renji."_

"Byakuya, is…something wrong?" Shuji asked.

"No," he answered, turning over to face the window, "I'm just…weary."

Shuji smiled warmly.

"Well, get some rest, then," he said, moving to the door, "You will feel better in the morning, Byakuya. We can talk more then."

Shuji slipped out of the room. The door closed with a soft click. The sound made him curious. He waited until Shuji's footsteps had faded down the hallway, then slipped out, of bed. He stepped softly across the room and placed a hand on the door handle. The handle would not turn. Byakuya sighed in frustration, leaning against the locked door.

He had, it seemed, exchanged one kind of captivity for another.

He wondered if his state was better this way or if it had worsened…

XXXXXXXXXX

"Excuse me," Rukia said to the woman at the hospital information desk, "I was told that my brother was brought to this hospital and I wanted to know where I can find him."

The woman smiled and nodded.

"I can help you with that. What is your brother's name?" she asked.

"It's Byakuya, Byakuya Kuchiki," Rukia supplied.

The woman furrowed her brow as she studied the computer monitor in front of her. After a moment, her smile returned.

"Here he is," she said, looking up at Rukia, "Room 314. Just take the elevator there to the third floor and check in at the nurse's station there. They'll be glad to see you. They haven't been able to locate any family and they have some questions about him."

Rukia nodded.

"Arigato, we'll go on up, then."

Ichigo followed as Rukia walked to the elevator, chattering excitedly. I can't believe he's actually here," she told Ichigo as the elevator started to move, "Byakuya would never trust human doctors. It's very strange!"

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, frowning, "It doesn't sound like your brother at all."

The doors opened and they stepped out. A few steps away, several nurses were gathered at the desk.

"Excuse me," Rukia said quietly, "I was told that my brother, Byakuya Kuchiki was here."

The nurses looked up at her in surprise.

"You're his sister?" one of them said, looking at her curiously.

"He was here," said the charge nurse, "He was brought in after he collapsed in a park near here. He didn't seem to have been injured, but he did lose consciousness. And when he woke, he seemed very confused and disoriented. He really couldn't tell us anything about himself."

"He was very quiet," another nurse added, "very polite…"

"Where is he now?" Rukia asked.

The charge nurse shook her head.

"He was in Room 314 at the end of the hall until about an hour ago. Then, we went in to check on him and he was gone."

"Do you mind if we check his room?" Rukia asked, "We'd like to see if perhaps he left anything behind."

The nurse nodded.

"Go ahead…right down that hallway."

Rukia and Ichigo moved quickly down the hallway and into the room. The bed was still unmade and a cup of now cold tea sat on the bedside table. The two shinigami extended their reiatsu, attempting to locate any sign of Byakuya's.

"He was here," Rukia said, "I sense his reiatsu…but Ichigo, it's very faint…too faint for him having been here only an hour ago. It should be much stronger than this!"

She walked slowly around the room.

"Another shinigami was in here with him," she said, looking around, "The reiatsu doesn't feel like any I know."

"Can you tell where Byakuya went?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah…he went out the door here."

"The door?" Ichigo asked, confused, "Rukia, he's a shinigami. If he didn't want to be seen, he could have slipped out the window. Hell, being that it's Byakuya, he could have walked through the wall or something!"

Rukia followed the faint trail out into the hallway and down past the nurse's station. They passed the desk and came to a stairwell. The stairwell took them back to the first floor, then the trail led out the front doors.

"Ichigo, he met someone here. The reiatsu feels like the shinigami from before. They left together and they went this way."

The two shinigami flash stepped along, following the weak traces of Byakuya's reiatsu through the twisting streets. Finally, they came to a bustling street that hosted a number of small shops and a nightclub. Rukia slowed and came to a halt.

"There are too many reiatsu traces around here," Rukia said, frowning, "I can't tell where he went from here.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji kicked open the door of the bi-level apartment and burst inside. The inside of the entry room was dark, but Renji saw a shaft of light coming from upstairs. He flash stepped towards it, taking the stairs two by two. He reached the top of the stairs and burst into the upstairs room. His feet slid to a stop and Renji froze, staring in disbelief.

He had entered a small bedroom that was the only lighted room in the apartment. Photographs were everywhere. The walls and ceiling were covered with photographs…all featuring Byakuya. Most looked innocent enough, but as he studied them, a bolt of disgust went through him, making him feel nauseous and at the same time enraged.

There were pictures of Byakuya that would originally have included him…pictures of Byakuya kissing him, but his face and body had been removed and replaced with that of the photographer. Renji saw several photographs sitting on a nearby table and stepped toward it. Three photos caught his attention. The first was a picture of Byakuya and Renji, himself, half-dressed and very obviously making love on Byakuya's office floor. The second was the same photo edited to replace Renji with Takashi. Renji fought down a wave of nausea as he viewed the final photograph…the same picture…only edited so that Shuji replaced Renji. Renji picked up the photograph, his reiatsu flaring bright red with fury. His hand closed around the picture. The red light flared and the picture in his hand crumpled and darkened until it was black and practically melted.

He heard the sound of the front door of the apartment open and close, and then footsteps on the stairs. Renji bust out of the room, his hand on Zabimaru.

"Renji, stop!" a feminine voice shouted.

Renji froze.

"It's just me."

The woman's face came into view. Renji blinked.

"Yoruichi? How did you find me?" he asked, studying her in the darkness.

"I followed your reiatsu trail here. Did you find any sign of him?" she asked, looking around.

"Not here, no. But I did find something…"

Yoruichi followed him to the upstairs bedroom.

"This guy's a real freak," he said disgustedly, "He's obviously been photographing Byakuya for several years and doctoring a lot of the photos to include himself. On the table, I found the photo that was used in the newspaper…and I found the original. That sick fuck took pictures of Byakuya and me, then edited them to replace me with Takashi…then himself. I guess I should have expected something like this after we found the video of Byakuya and me in his room at the manor."

He shook his head in disgust.

"Yoruichi, if Byakuya is with this guy, then he is in a shitload of trouble!"

"Well," said Yoruichi, placing a hand on his shoulder, "from what I can tell, Byakuya left the manor alone…but this guy followed him. I came for you so that we could follow the trail to see where the two went."

Renji nodded.

"Well, let's not keep Byakuya waiting."

He followed Yoruichi at flash step speed back to the manor. They started in the bedroom and followed Byakuya's reiatsu out of the manor and down several streets.

"He was moving at shunpo speed," Yoruichi commented, "I think he did not want to be seen."

"It looks like he was heading for the twelfth division."

"Any particular reason Byakuya would want to secretly go there?" Yoruichi asked.

Renji shook his head.

"Byakuya hates the twelfth!"

He continued to consider the idea as they closed in on the twelfth. Suddenly Renji slid to a stop. Yoruichi stopped as well and turned to look at him.

"Yoruichi…I know why he was going there," Renji said with certainty in his voice, "The head captain ordered him not to have any contact with Takashi's family…and Takashi's brother and sister are both in the twelfth. That would explain why he came here…and why he wouldn't have wanted to be seen!"

He hesitated for a moment, thinking.

"But it's been kind of a long time since the order was given. Why disobey it now? Yoruichi…I'm thinking that…maybe they contacted him. Maybe he agreed to meet them here to talk about the article and picture in the paper."

"But it looks like more may have gone on than just talking. His reiatsu leads into the old research building. Renji, there are lots of good places in there for some kind of ambush!"

"But Byakuya's way stronger!" Renji objected.

"Stronger, yes…but stronger can get trumped by 'more prepared.' Come on. Let's follow the trail and see where it leads."

They moved forward into the dark research building. Renji felt a shiver of anxiety pass through him.

"Shuji followed him in here," Yoruichi said softly as she moved forward.

They followed the reiatsu into a large laboratory. Inside, they found a block of computers and an isolation room.

"Byakuya was in this chamber," Yoruichi said, studying it carefully, "but Renji, he never came out of it!"

"What?" Renji gasped in dismay, "What do you mean he never came out of it?"

"Something was done to him in this chamber, Renji…and then he was somehow transported out of here…I don't know how."

"I can tell you that," said a soft voice.

Yoruichi and Renji turned in surprise and found themselves facing Takashi's sister.

"Nia?" Renji said questioningly, "Nia, what happened to Byakuya? Where is he?"

Nia's face was lined with tears.

"I'll tell you," she said softly, "but you must promise me that you will not hurt Tadashi! He is hurt and angry…and he is planning to kill your captain!"

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shuji!" Byakuya called out, "Shuji, open the door!"

He heard footsteps in the hallway and the lock released with a sharp click. Byakuya stepped back as the door opened. Shuji stepped into the room with an alarmed look on his face.

"Byakuya, what is it?" he asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

"You locked me in here!" Byakuya said, his heart pounding, "Why would you do that?"

Shuji studied Byakuya for a moment, then sighed softly.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice that," he said softly, "I didn't want you to take it the wrong way. It's just that…Byakuya, you passed out…and you don't remember anything. I was so tired, because I spent hours out looking for you! I was worried that if I fell asleep, that you would run off again. I wasn't trying to hold you prisoner or anything…really! I just needed sleep, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to you. Do you understand, Byakuya?"

Byakuya studied the other's face. Shuji's face showed genuine concern, but every time Byakuya looked at him, fear crept into his heart.

"I want to leave now, Shuji," he said firmly.

"But…but where will you go?" Shuji asked worriedly, "Byakuya, you are ill and not in your right mind! You can't just wander off! Kami knows what would happen to you!"

"You can't force me to stay here," Byakuya said, panic rising in his voice, "I am leaving!"

He started to push past Shuji, but froze as the other's hand passed over a pendant at his throat and a heavy, weighted feeling sank down over Byakuya. It was as it had been at the hospital, a feeling like the air was being squeezed out of his lungs. Byakuya gasped and dropped to his knees, his chest heaving.

"Now look what you've done!" Shuji said reprovingly, "You've fretted yourself into a near faint. Now, let me help you back into bed, Byakuya. I told you. You need to rest."

He half dragged a reluctant Byakuya back to the bed. Byakuya continued to struggle for breath and the touch of Shuji's hands made his flesh crawl. He pushed Byakuya into the bed and settled the blankets over him.

"I'll go and make you some tea," Shuji said quietly, "I want you to stay here and rest."

His hand passed over the pendant again and the pressure in Byakuya's chest eased. Byakuya lay panting and shivering as though chilled to the core. The awful pressure was gone, but now all Byakuya could feel was coldness inside. There was something dangerous in Shuji's eyes. He felt it keenly. He didn't know how he knew, but Byakuya knew he had to escape this man.


	9. The Honor Killing

**Chapter 9: The Honor Killing**

Byakuya was swift to notice that as Shuji left the room, the door did not close all of the way. As soon as his footsteps disappeared down the hallway, Byakuya slipped out of the room and slipped into the room next to his. He meant only to use the window to leave the room, but as the light from the hallway leaked in, Byakuya caught his breath in surprise. Photographs covered the table and nightstand…photographs of him. More than a few showed him spread out on a bed with Shuji leaning over him. Byakuya's heart was racing madly. How could he have been this man's lover? But…if he was Shuji's lover, then why did he look so lifeless in the pictures? If they were lovers, then wouldn't he be responding to Shuji? And if they were lovers, then why did the man's touch make his very skin crawl. Byakuya felt his body shaking and he reflexively backed toward the door.

"I didn't intend for you to find out this way," Shuji said from the doorway, "I'm sorry, Byakuya, I'm afraid I haven't told you everything. I was waiting, you see. I was waiting to see if it would come back to you."

Byakuya turned and met Shuji's eyes. They remained warm, but Byakuya felt a coldness beneath them. He backed toward the window.

"Byakuya," Shuji, "It's okay. I know it must seem strange to you to find the pictures of us making love, but then…that's what lovers do, right? They make love."

He stepped forward slowly.

"You're shaking, Byakuya. Why? It's just me. I won't hurt you. I promise I won't. Come with me. We'll go back to your room and we'll talk. You don't want to stay in here. I see the pictures have upset you."

He reached Byakuya and placed a hand on his face. Slowly, he leaned forward and brought their lips together. Byakuya tried to pull away, then found himself falling. He struck the table with his hip as he went down and it broke and toppled, sending the pictures flying in all directions. Shuji dropped down on top of him, holding him down and reaching for the pendant he wore. Byakuya forced his hands away from it and twisted away. Shuji moved with him and forced him down again, then brought his lips to the restrained man's ear.

"Why are you fighting me? Don't you feel it, Byakuya? We're lovers. You don't need to run from me. I'm not going to hurt you. I love you. I just want you. Make love to me, Byakuya…make love to me now."

Byakuya twisted his hips and pushed hard with both hands and managed to throw Shuji off to one side. He rolled to his feet as Shuji calmly brought a hand to the pendant at his throat.

Byakuya felt the squeezing sensation beginning in his chest and threw himself across the bed. As Shuji rose up next to the bed, Byakuya opened the window and scrambled toward it. Shuji grabbed him roughly from behind, trying to pull him back. Shaking from the feeling of pressure and barely able to breathe, Byakuya kicked hard and connected with some part of Shuji's body firmly enough that the hands on him released and he tumbled through the window. He counted himself fortunate that they had been on the first floor and that he hadn't fallen onto hard pavement, but thick grass in dirt made into mud by the rain. He rolled to his feet, feeling relief from the awful pressure. He broke into a run as Shuji burst through the window behind him.

"Byakuya, stop!" Shuji called after him.

Byakuya was grateful for the large number of people on the street as he turned the corner. Couples walked hand in hand between the restaurants and nightclubs, giving no notice to the frantic looking man trying to lose himself in the crowd. He felt sudden pressure and knew Shuji was close, so he ducked behind people and edged towards one of the dance clubs.

He managed to slip inside, but saw that Shuji had spotted him. He moved into the throng of dancers, moving carefully as the people around him bobbed and swayed to the pounding music. Someone wrapped their arms around him and pulled him close. He found himself dancing with a woman dressed in a sleek gold dress with a flashy golden wrap. She slipped it around his shoulders and turned him away as Shuji's eyes scanned the room, then she leaned in close to speak into his ear. He could barely hear the words over the music.

"Is 'Creepy' over there giving you trouble?" she asked.

He pulled her closer and brought his lips to her ear.

"I just need to get out of here without him seeing me," he said, hiding his face in her hair.

Her lips brushed against his throat.

"You got it, Cutie."

She turned him away again as Shuji started across the room.

"When we get to the tables behind you, drop and I'll find myself another partner."

As they moved toward the tables, Byakuya kept his face buried in her hair.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked quietly.

He felt her smiling into his shoulder.

"I don't know. Just saw you bust in here looking all frantic and thought I'd help. Besides…I couldn't let a creep like that get his hands on a beauty like you! Are you ready then?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Now!"

He dropped to the floor and crawled along beneath the tables, careful to avoid the legs and feet of the ones who sat alongside the dance floor. He regained his feet at the end of the tables and looked back.

Shuji's head turned and for one heart stopping moment, Byakuya thought he had been seen. He felt the breath leave his body. But a moment later, Shoji turned away and continued to scan the room with his eyes. Byakuya turned and burst through the back door and found himself in a dark alley behind the dance club. He ran toward the nearest corner and rounded it in a run. As he started down the next alleyway, he felt a somewhat different pressure sweep down, closing in on him. He slid to a stop, his heart pounding wildly as he looked all around.

He couldn't see the other, but he felt a presence in front of him and the pressure grew intense. A strong hand took hold of his throat and he felt the closeness of a body, the touch of icy breath on his skin.

"Who are you?" he gasped, unable to pull free, "Why can't I see you?"

He heard soft laughter.

"I am Tadashi," he whispered into Byakuya's ear, and Byakuya felt a shiver of fear pass through him, "You're trembling, Byakuya…and you should be. Because I am about to become your executioner!"

Byakuya gasped sharply as something sharp was driven through his midsection. One hand still held him by the shoulder and the other held the weapon that was buried in his body. Byakuya stood frozen against the one he couldn't see, fighting to draw breath. He felt the breath of the other on his skin again and heard the soft voice in his ear.

"This is what I felt when I heard that you were using my brother for sex. It is the fate you deserve for taking advantage of someone so devoted to you. And when I pull my blade out of you, you will pay Takashi back for saving your worthless life!"

He held Byakuya against him for a moment longer, then calmly tore the weapon free. Blood exploded around them and Byakuya felt that he had been released. He sank to his knees, feeling the blood coursing down his body and tasting it in his mouth. He fell forward onto the ground and laid, unable to move. He felt the release of the pressure as his attacker moved away.

He was alone in the alley, his blood pooling around him. He realized suddenly that if he died here, he had no idea who, or even if anyone would know or miss him. He couldn't help but wonder as his consciousness faded.

_Who am I leaving behind?_

He was vaguely surprised to hear running footsteps and someone calling his name. Suddenly, he remembered whose voice it was…and the touch of the arms that wrapped around him and lifted him.

"Renji," he whispered, tears coming to his eyes.

It was all coming back to him in startling color and life as the blood drained out of him.

Renji lifted Byakuya's blood soaked body into his arms and turned back to the others who had arrived with him.

"I'll get Orihime and meet you at Kisuke's," Yoruichi said quickly.

She disappeared in a blinding flash step.

"Hanatarou is already there," Ichigo said, staring at Byakuya in dismay, "He should be able to help until Orihime gets there."

Renji nodded and flash stepped away with Rukia and Ichigo on his heels. They reached Urahara's shop in record time and burst inside. Kisuke turned in surprise, then saw the injured man in Renji's arms and motioned toward an open door. Renji carried Byakuya into the room and set him down on the bed as Hanatarou ran into the room. The healer leaned over Byakuya, extending his hands and calling his healing power to life.

"Wha…Is this a gigai?" Hanatarou asked in confusion.

"No," Renji said, gazing worriedly at Byakuya, "He was somehow transformed. His body is human."

"H-human?" Hanatarou stammered, "Captain K-Kuchiki? How?"

"You remember that not long ago, Byakuya and I were involved in a nasty conflict in Hueco Mundo. As we fought to escape, a hollow tried to attack Byakuya. A young shinigami named Taksahi jumped in between them and killed the hollow, but was killed, himself. Afterward, a false story went around that Byakuya had been intimate with the shinigami who died trying to save him. Byakuya was suspended while the case was investigated. He was barred from speaking to the family of the shinigami or even speaking to the members of his own squad. It turns out that the picture used to implicate him was manipulated. But the damage was done. Takashi's twin brother, Tadashi, decided that he wanted to avenge his brother. He knew that the twelfth division was secretly testing a human form. The form was faulty and Captain Kurotsuchi said it was worthless…but Tadashi stole the technology and used it to transform Byakuya. Once he was human, Tadashi sent him to the living world, then followed him, waiting to get him alone and kill him in a game of cat and mouse."

"How did you find all of this out?" asked Rukia.

"Yoruichi came to the Seireitei and we tracked Byakuya to the old research building in the twelfth division. Tadashi's sister, Nia, was there and she told us what Tadashi had done. Problem is…Nia doesn't know how to get Byakuya back to shinigami form. Tadashi knows, but he disappeared after stabbing Byakuya. We need to find out how to get him back to shinigami form…after we heal him, that is."

"It's easier said than done, I'm afraid," said Hanatarou, frowning, "This human form is very sensitive to spirit energy. It is feeling heavy pressure just being in our presence."

Kisuke nodded.

"I'll get some of those moderators for us. That will take some of the pressure off, but as far as the human form and the transformation, we may be in trouble."

"What do you mean?" asked Renji, "You know about it? How do we get him out of this?"

"I don't know that yet. What I do know is that the technology for creating this human form was created while I led the twelfth division. I ordered it destroyed after several shinigami died in the testing stages. Some of the problem was in the instability of the form and some was in the return process. The researchers on the project figured out that to return the spirit to shinigami form, you have to send the spirit into its inner world. Once there, it faces its zanpakuto. Unfortunately, facing a wild zanpakuto with no powers is tantamount to suicide. They couldn't find a way around it. I'm afraid Byakuya here is in a whole mess of trouble. He has to live long enough for me to figure out how to help him defeat his zanpakuto in his inner world with no powers."

Kisuke left the room and returned a few minutes later with the spirit energy moderators.

"Keep these on when you're around him or your spiritual pressure will crush him."

He turned to look at Hanatarou as the young healer gave a gasp of dismay.

"What is it?"

"My healing power…" Hanatarou gasped, "I…I think it's making things worse!"

Kisuke dropped to his knees next to Byakuya and quickly studied his reiatsu.

"Damn, kid, I think you're right. The power is too much for him. Well, you managed to stop the bleeding…but we'd best hope Orihime's power doesn't have the same effect or we're going to lose him."

A moment later, Orihime burst into the room with Yoruichi on her heels. The girl dropped down next to Byakuya and called forth her power. The others watched in silence as the golden power flared.

"Is it working?" Renji asked finally.

Kisuke moved in alongside Orihime.

"Yeah," he said in a relieved tone, "It seems to be working. He's still reacting to the spirit energy, but then her power rejects the reaction. It's also rejecting the injury. It's just taking a long time because of his sensitivity to the power."

"Hang in there…" Renji whispered in Byakuya's ear, "Don't leave me…"

Ichigo turned to Kisuke.

"Hey…if Orihime can reject the injury, then can't she reject the transformation?"

Kisuke shook his head.

"It doesn't work that way. You see, part of what happened in the transformation was that Byakuya's life as a shinigami actually ended when he became human. Normally, going from shinigami to human would leave no trace of memory…but the process was imperfect. Byakuya probably had some memory of his existence as a shinigami."

"Wait a minute," Renji said, "Do you mean that the transformation killed him? That he isn't himself anymore?"

"Not exactly. As I said, the process was flawed, so his spirit reacted as though his shinigami form had died when he became human. So if Orihime tried to reject it, it would only return him to the first moment of life as a human. It wouldn't give him back his shinigami form. The only way to do that is by sending his spirit into his inner world to reconnect with his zanpakutou. But because he is now human and without power, his zanpakutou will attack him. We have to find a way around that."

"So how do we send him to his inner world?" asked Rukia.

"Just let me worry about that," said Kisuke cryptically, "For right now, let's just focus on keeping him alive."

Orihime extended her hands and focused on the golden light over Byakuya. Her brow furrowed and she sighed softly with effort.

"The damage is healing, but it's happening very, very slowly," she said softly.

"Is he going to be all right?" asked Renji.

"Yes," Orihime answered with certainty, "I won't lose him. He is going to live."

By the time the healing was finished, morning had come. Seeing that Byakuya was going to be all right, Kisuke shooed everyone off to other rooms to catch up on lost sleep. As soon as the others had left, Renji slipped into bed next to Byakuya and wrapped himself around his lover's body. As he drifted off, Byakuya turned in his arms and latched onto him, clinging to him tightly.

"Just sleep now," Renji whispered, "kissing Byakuya's soft, warm lips, "Orihime healed you. You're going to be fine."

"Renji…" Byakuya whispered, tightening his hands, "Renji…"


	10. Running

**Chapter 10: Running**

Renji opened his eyes and watched silently as Byakuya slept. His hands still clung to the redhead's body and his face rested against Renji's bare chest. Renji gently brushed the long black strands of hair away from his eyes and smiled at the peaceful expression on his face. Nightmares about finding Byakuya, bloodied and barely alive had plagued Renji's sleep, so he had finally given it up in favor of quietly watching Byakuya sleep and reassuring himself that now that he had his lover back in his arms, there was no way that he would lose him again.

But there were so many issues!

They didn't know how they would get Byakuya into his inner world, how they would help him battle Senbonzakura. Worse, they didn't know where Tadashi and Shuji were, so either could attempt to get to Byakuya again.

He glanced out the window, staring up into the blue sky and wishing they were back in the Seireitei…but Byakuya couldn't go to the Seireitei in this state. They might not be able to go home for a long time, he realized. And the longer it took, the more the chance that the human form would fail.

_We Have to find a way to get Byakuya out of this human form before then!_

He looked back at Byakuya and noticed that his dark gray eyes were open and observing him. He smiled and kissed the noble's forehead, eyelids and lips. Byakuya loosened his hold slightly and rubbed his face against the redhead's chest, settling more firmly against him.

"How are you feeling now?" Renji asked softly.

The gray eyes wavered with uncertainty.

"I feel very odd. I…know who I am…or was. I know who you are…and where we are, but I'm not so clear on exactly what happened," Byakuya explained.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember getting a hell butterfly that was supposed to have been from Nia. It asked me to meet her at the twelfth division."

"Why didn't you send for me?" Renji asked, his voice calm, but edged with concern, "Why did you go there alone?"

"She said that she wanted to talk. I had no idea that it wasn't her…or that Tadashi was so disturbed. I have to admit, I should have considered that my silence would have upset them…perhaps to the point of violence. I was just wrapped up in feeling guilty for letting this go so long without doing anything. But you are right, Renji. I should have had you meet me there."

"Well…what's done is done."

He looked into the dark eyes questioningly.

"Do you understand what happened to you?"

Byakuya shook his head.

"I know my powers are gone. I know that I am unable to bear the spirit energy around me. I cannot see shinigami unless they wear a gigai. I am powerless…and Senbonzakura is unable to speak to me."

"Nia said that Tadashi used an experimental process to transform you into a human. That's why your powers are gone."

"I think I remember parts of that…a red pulsing light, pain…falling. Then I woke up in a hospital. Shuji was there with the doctor, but he left when he realized that his spirit energy was harming me. He came back, though. When I found out that the doctors were planning to send me to the mental ward, I ran…but I ran headlong into Shuji."

He paused, swallowing hard and burrowing more deeply into Renji's arms.

"He took me to an apartment and locked me in a room, but I managed to get out of the room and I was trying to get away from him. I stumbled upon a room full of pictures…many of them with Shuji and me. Renji, I looked semi-conscious…posed. He came back and saw that I had found the pictures…"

Renji put his hands on Byakuya's face and looked into his eyes.

"Byakuya, I'm sorry…but I have to ask you…Did Shuji…hurt you? Did he…?"

Byakuya sighed softly and his eyes closed.

I know that…something happened at the manor, but I don't think that I was…that he was successful in what he tried to do. There would have been clearer signs…and the memories that are returning seem to support that."

"But what about here in the living world? Bya, did he try anything?" Renji asked, his reiatsu flaring.

"He tried," Byakuya admitted, "but I managed to escape the building…and I ran into a dance club…and I slipped out the back. I barely remember a voice and feeling a lot of pain, but the details of what happened are fuzzy."

"What happened is that Tadashi caught up with you. He thought to kill you. You're lucky that Orihime was able to heal you…but even though you've been healed, your human form is unstable. It could begin to fail at any time. Kisuke is trying to work out how to get you back into shinigami form, but it's going to take some time for that to happen."

He stroked the noble's back thoughtfully.

"You have to stay close to me. Shuji and Tadashi are still out there…and we don't want either one to reach you."

"So…will we stay here?"

Renji shook his head.

"Kisuke suggested a safe house near here. Your spirit energy is low enough that we should be able to spirit you out of here and keep you hidden. The hard part is making sure no one is watching. We don't want them to know you've left here until you are safely hidden."

Byakuya nodded.

"That makes sense."

He nuzzled beneath Renji's chin and closed his eyes again.

"Arigato…for finding me in time, Renji," Byakuya said softly, "I would have died alone in that alley if you hadn't come along when you did."

Renji smiled sadly.

"I just wish I could have found you a but sooner. Kami, when I saw you lying there, I thought you were already gone, Bya. It scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry that I frightened you…that I went to see Nia without sending for you…and I'm sorry that I didn't listen to myself when I had such negative feelings about Shuji. I've made so many mistakes in this, Renji. I feel so stupid. Why didn't I listen to myself? I knew I felt uneasy around Shuji. I should have had him watched."

"Byakuya," Renji said softly, "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. Shuji is really fucked up. After you disappeared, we realized that he was gone too. We searched his room. Bya, you wouldn't believe the stuff we found in there! There were pictures of you…it looked like you were really out of it, like he must have drugged you. And I thought about how you were so groggy when I came back…He must have done it while I was at the office. If I'd been paying better attention…"

"Renji…don't…"

"We also found video of you and me making love, Bya. That creep was outside our bedroom recording everything! And when you saw his face in the mirror…that was a trick done with reflectors and relays. Once we found that, I went to the head captain and got clearance to search his apartment in the Seireitei. I found a room filled with pictures of you. He's one sick bastard. I saw that room…and…and I was ready to explode! Luckily, Yoruichi showed up to help track you."

Renji shivered softly.

"The whole time we were looking for you, I was going crazy thinking that he might have you…that he could hurt you…that he could…"

"I'm fine, Renji…well, not fine, but I escaped him."

Renji tightened his arms around Byakuya.

"And neither Tadashi or that sick creep are getting near you again! I am not leaving you for a minute!"

"Good," Byakuya said softly, "because I don't want you to go. I hate to admit it…but I am too weak in this form to be of any use at all. I can't function near my enemies, because I can't even see them unless they wear a gigai. And their power overwhelms me. And…Renji…This form makes my…emotions…unstable. I feel things…and I find that my body acts on them before I can stop myself. I'm trying to gain more control, but it is difficult. As a shinigami, I was carefully trained for years to control and conceal emotion, but this human form is not subject to what I know…or what I want to do. It just…reacts."

Renji couldn't stop the warm smile that touched his lips.

"Now you know what it's like to be me!" he laughed softly, "Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you…and as soon as Kisuke is sure that the way is safe for us, we'll go to the safe house. Then it will just be you and me. You won't have to worry about being in control. You know you don't have to worry about that when you're just with me."

"I know that," Byakuya said, closing his eyes against the emotion that was rising up inside him, "but I'm not used to this. I don't know if I ever will be. I hate the feeling of fear running though me…of panic taking control of me. I hate feeling myself react and not being able to stop it. It eats away at me, Renji. It makes me sick inside."

"Don't do that to yourself," Renji said, stroking his hair, "You may remember being a shinigami, but you aren't one right now. You have to just accept who you are now."

"Renji…how can you love me now? I'm so weak…insignificant. I've been reduced to nothing. It's like the person you remember is gone…"  
Renji took the noble's face in his hands and forced the weary gray eyes to meet his.

"Stop that, will you? You are still the man I love. You are everything to me. And nothing about you is weak or insignificant! Byakuya, all that's happening is that what you usually keep inside is coming out. You have no choice but to let yourself be seen. And I love who you are inside! I always have. You just have to learn a different kind of strength now. Instead of using your strength to hide your emotion, you have to have the strength to lower your pride and let yourself feel things, Bya. Trust me…it isn't so bad. You'll get used to it."

Byakuya released something dangerously close to a sarcastic laugh.

"Renji…pride notwithstanding, this is nearly intolerable…and I will never get used to it!" he said with conviction.

Renji laughed softly.

"See now, that's the shinigami I fell in love with!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Shuji worked his way quickly around the apartment and tried to remove all traces of Byakuya's reiatsu. He gathered his photographs and personal belongings together and prepared to leave. There was no question now that he would have to disppear. Byakuya would go back to Renji Abarai and he would be hunted. And it wasn't just Renji Abarai that he feared. Orochi Kuchiki was another concern. By leaving without finishing whatever plan the Kuchiki cousin had, he was sure to have angered the man. He was fortunate to have thought ahead. He had hidden money and he knew how to slink about quietly. He had done so for years.

He picked up his suitcase and portfolio and headed for the front door. He knew several good places to conceal himself while things cooled down. He would be fine.

Yes, he would be fine.

He was convinced of it.

He was absolutely sure of it until the door opened in front of him and Orochi Kuchiki stepped into the room. His eyes were cold and snakelike. They froze Shuji in his tracks.

"You are clumsy…and careless," his cold voice hissed, "I don't like clumsy, careless people. Those kind…could get me into all kinds of trouble, you see. I don't need trouble…and I no longer need you!"

Shuji had only one heart stopping moment of sheer terror, then he was falling.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Yoruichi walked slowly along the street, following Byakuya's reiatsu traces in reverse. She knew she was close now. The place he had been taken had to have been close by. She paused and read the signs again, picking up the reiatsu of the photographer. There were two trails of his reiatsu, indicating that he had gone back to the place where he came from. There were several apartment buildings ahead of her. She followed the reiatsu trail into one of them and slowly approached a first floor apartment that seemed to radiate the reiatsu she sought.

She walked up to the door and listened. Everything seemed quiet within…deathly still, in fact. She didn't feel any presences within. She carefully reached out and turned the door handle.

It was unlocked.

That fact made her wary. She slowly pushed the door open and looked inside. The entry was dark and silent. She moved inside and closed the door behind her. She felt the traces of Shuji's reiatsu and Byakuya's now. It was definitely the right place…but it looked like she was too late.

"Damn…he got away from us!" she muttered.

It made sense that the photographer would get spooked knowing that Byakuya had escaped him. He had probably fled as soon as he realized that Byakuya could not be caught. But being in a hurry, he might have overlooked something.

She moved into the kitchen area and found a pot of long cold tea…and nothing else of interest. She moved into the hallway and found the room that Byakuya had been concealed in. The traces were everywhere. She studied the room for several minutes, then moved back out into the hallway.

She felt a small touch of another reiatsu and paused. There was a familiarity to it. At first, she thought it was just more of Byakuya's, but this reiatsu was far stronger than what Byakuya was channeling at the moment. It was wielded by someone who knew what he or she was doing. The reiatsu was carefully manipulated to make it impossible for anyone to determine just who had left it…or how strong that person was. But the power of the person was displayed in the way he or she was able to cover the signs. Yoruichi sighed in frustration.

"So the creep wasn't working alone!" she muttered.

She thought she might have heard a sound outside the door, but wasn't sure that it hadn't floated over from another apartment. She slipped back out of the room and into the hallway, pausing to carefully sense the reiatsu around her.

She was getting a very dark feeling.

She moved to the next door and stood outside it for a moment, extending her senses into the room and trying to feel for any signs of danger. There was a tiny flutter of reiatsu, but it faded into nothing.

Taking a breath, she pushed open the door.

The scene was set up perfectly to masquerade as a suicide. Shuji hung naked from the light fixture in the middle of the room with pictures of Byakuya strewn all around. Clenched in his hand was a note. She didn't have to read it to know what it was, but she did anyway.

I am sorry for the trouble I caused. I love you, Byakuya. I only wanted to hold you in my arms. I would never have hurt you. I have loved you forever and even death will not stop that.

She had to admit that the one who set up the scene had thought of everything.


	11. Protected

**Chapter 11: Protected**

Kisuke waited as the delivery driver wheeled in several carts of supplies for the shop, then quietly signaled Renji and Byakuya to move. The two slipped into a wooden shipping container and were loaded onto the delivery truck. As the truck rumbled away, Kisuke stood alongside Yoruichi, Ichigo and Rukia, watching as it disappeared into the distance. After it had gone, Kisuke turned to Yoruichi.

"So you say that Shuji died of unnatural causes, eh?" he asked.

"It was a very well rendered scene, quite professionally and coldly carried out. Whoever did this was ruthless and powerful…and he must really despise Byakuya. He's covering his tracks now, but that doesn't mean that he is done with his moves against Byakuya. If he worked with Shuji and he learns of Tadashi, he might try to take advantage of Tadashi's situation to hide his own involvement.

"And," Kisuke added, "if there was anyone else who had knowledge of the connection between this mystery guy and Shuji, he'll probably eliminate them as well."

Yoruichi nodded and chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip.

"Renji told me that Shuji was hired by the Kuchiki Council of Elders to assist them in trying to counter the bad press about Byakuya with a series of opposing articles. He said that the council member most responsible was Orochi Kuchiki. He is Byakuya's cousin and in line for clan leadership if anything happens to Byakuya," Yoruichi explained.

"I'd say that makes him pretty high on the list of suspects," said Kisuke, "and it also means that we're going to have one hell of a time working against him. Do we know how Orochi found Shuji?"

"Renji said that Shuji told Byakuya that he was recommended to Orochi by the newspaper administrator."

"The one who was most responsible for the bogus article that set this whole thing off, right? Interesting. I'd say that Orochi's plan was to use 'Creepy' to either set Byakuya up for a media slaying or to set him up to be abducted at some point. Whether publicly humiliated or imprisoned by the freak…or both, Byakuya was being set up."

"So," said Yoruichi, "we need to get to that administrator before he does."

"Good thinking," said Kisuke, "and while you do that, Ichigo and I will slip away from here and go stand guard on the lovers. They may not have Shuji to worry about, but as soon as word gets out that Byakuya is alive, Tadashi will be back. But we'll try to keep his survival quiet as long as we can. We'll officially report him missing…and I have a friend at the newspaper here who will run an article that reports the finding of a body in that alley. Maybe that will throw Tadashi off."

Yoruichi nodded and turned to Rukia.

"Come Rukia, we need to move quickly…before Orochi gets to that administrator!"

The two flash stepped away.

Kisuke turned back to Ichigo.

"Well," he said, smiling, "looks like you and I have a few hours to kill before we follow the lovebirds out to their hideaway. Care to join me for a cup of tea?"

"Tea?" said Ichigo, narrowing his eyes, "It's the first time we've been alone in almost a week and you want tea?"

"Well," Kisuke said, letting a smile creep onto his face, "I never said what we'd do after the tea."

Ichigo laughed softly and turned to follow Kisuke inside. As Kisuke turned toward the kitchen, Ichigo took hold of him from behind and flash stepped toward the bedroom. Kisuke chuckled softly.

"No tea then?" he complained.

He had, he found, no complaints about being thrown down on the bed and attacked by Ichigo's hot, eager mouth and the hands that quickly deprived him of his clothes.

"Whoa, there," he laughed softly as the substitute soul reaper released his lips and bit down on his throat, "Give a guy a chance to catch up or this will be over with before it starts!"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo said between warm, wet kisses and sharp, playful nips, "You said we've got a couple of hours, right?"

"Yeah, I said that…so?"

"So there's time for more than once," Ichigo said, grinning.

"Or," Kisuke said, turning swiftly and pinning the ginger haired shinigami to the bed beneath him, "We can slow this down and make this one really shake the foundation…know what I mean?"

Ichigo gave it a moment of thought…and selected option two.

XXXXXXXXXX

The delivery truck rumbled to a stop at the end of a long driveway. The driver got out and removed a large wooden crate from the truck. He wheeled it to the back door of the beach house and left it. There was a long pause as the driver returned to the truck and drove away, then the crate shifted and the side opened. Renji slipped out, followed by a somewhat unsettled looking Byakuya.

"That's strange, you getting motion sickness like that," Renji said sympathetically, "but it's better now, isn't it?"

"I'm fine, Renji. I am glad we're here though. This looks comfortable."

"Yeah, there were several possibilities, but I liked this one best. The weather is going to be good over the next few days, so we should be able to relax and enjoy it while we're here."

Renji unlocked the door and stepped back to let Byakuya enter the house. He stepped past Renji and into the entry, stopping inside to admire the earthen colors, the dark wooden trim, the comfortable looking furniture and the openness of the tri-level home's floorplan.

They set their bags down in the entry.

"Kisuke had someone come and prepare the place for us, so there's food and all of the supplies we'll need. All we really have to do is to relax and try to enjoy this place."

Byakuya nodded.

"If enjoyment is possible under the circumstances," Byakuya said, dropping onto the sofa.

Renji sat down next to him.

"Well," he said, brushing the stray hairs away from Byakuya's face, "I think I can be of some help in that department."

He pressed his lips warmly to the dark haired captain's.

"I was thinking that it would be nice to take a walk on the beach. I think a little bit of sand between your toes might just relax you a little."

"You think so?" Byakuya asked noncommittally, "What makes you think that?"

Renji shrugged.

"I've been to the beach with Ichigo. He says that walking on the beach is really soothing."

Byakuya stood, bringing Renji up with him.

"Then if you think it will help, we should give it a try. But having been to the beach a few times before, I don't know how it differs in value from walking the trails at home."

Renji smiled.

"You've never walked on the beach in human form, have you?" he asked.

"No," said Byakuya, "I can't say that I have."

"Well, let's go then. And you can tell me if Ichigo's right or if he's full of shit."

"Renji," Byakuya said, narrowing his eyes, "I would think that the answer to that is quite obvious."

Renji started to laugh, then stopped himself and stared at Byakuya.

"Good one, Byakuya! I think this human form is improving your sense of humor!"

"Renji," Byakuya said in a quieter, more serious tone, "why are you doing this?"

Renji blinked.

"Doing what?"

"Why are you so interested in pointing out the differences now that I am in human form? Do you think that I don't notice them? Need I remind you that I'm not accustomed to having trouble controlling my impulses and emotions? I don't enjoy the harsher sensations of physical life. I liked things as they were. And the sooner I am out of this form and back in my own, the better I will feel."

Renji followed Byakuya quietly out the door and down onto the beach. They walked down to the wet sand and walked slowly up the beach, enjoying the feel of the cold water rushing around their feet and ankles.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya," Renji said, slipping an arm around him, "I know this isn't easy for you. I guess I was just asking because when Ichigo said what he did, it made me wonder if it was really true…that there is a difference in the way humans and shinigamis experience things. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Byakuya was silent for a moment, then he stopped and turned Renji around.

"You want to go back now?" Renji asked.

Byakuya looked at him out of the corner of one gray eye.

"Renji," he said softly, "Look back at our tracks in the sand."

Renji followed his gaze to where the water was rushing in and out, slowly covering the signs of their passing.

"Yeah?"

"Humans and shinigamis both leave footprints in the sand when they walk there…but in this living world, the water sweeps them away more quickly. If Ichigo told you that the sensations and emotions are deeper…perhaps the reason that seems to be true is because human life is much more fleeting than ours. In general, the less of something there is, the more precious we perceive it to be."

"So you're saying that the emotion makes it feel different?" Renji asked.

"I would have to agree that is true," Byakuya replied, digging his toes into the sand, "and that being the case, the sensations of human life aren't just more intense for me…they are nearly overwhelming."

"Why?"

Byakuya turned into Renji's arms and rested his head on the redhead's shoulder. Renji ran his fingers through the dark hair and rested his chin on top of Byakuya's head.

"Think about it, Renji. My life has come down to what happens in a relatively small number of heartbeats. Each as it comes is one less moment we have to find a way out of this. And while everyone is scrambling, trying to find a way to help me…all I am capable of doing is sitting here and watching the clock run down to zero. Do you have any idea how that feels?"

"No," said Renji, sliding a hand under his chin and raising his eyes, "and no matter what you think, Byakuya, neither do you. Because you are not just sitting here marking time. You have the most important task of all of us. We're the ones who feel helpless. Because as much as we do to find a way out of this, we can't keep you alive. You have to do that. You have to take care of yourself. And thinking that your life as a human is worthless, that you are useless, isn't going to help you stay alive so we can help you. Understand?"

Byakuya dropped his head back onto Renji's shoulder and was silent for several long minutes. Finally, he sighed softly and nuzzled more firmly into the redhead's embrace.

"I understand. I will do everything I can to lengthen the time we have to find our answers…but Renji, you must understand that if a means cannot be found in time, that this time we have now…here…has become priceless."

"Don't talk like that," Renji said, swallowing the knot of fear that was rising in his throat, "We're going to get you out of this, I promise you!"

Byakuya said nothing, but nodded silently in response. He leaned against Renji wearily. The redhead turned and drew him into a long, passionate kiss.

"I swear to you, Byakuya. I won't let you die. I waited too long and suffered too much to find you. I'll be damned if I'll let go of you now! Trust me…I need you to trust me. Can you do that? Can you trust me?"

Byakuya said nothing, but nodded into the redhead's strong shoulder. A moment later, he was lifted off his feet and carried back over the expanse of sand to the beach house. He held on, with his eyes closed and his head rested on Renji's shoulders as he was carried up the stairs and deposited on a soft bed.

Renji dropped down with him, fastening his mouth on Byakuya's and kissing him repeatedly. He kissed away the weary expression and traced the lines of his lover's face with his lips. He tilted Byakuya's head back and nuzzled beneath his chin, tasting the skin of his throat.

Byakuya's hands took hold of him and pushed him away. Renji stared down at him questioningly.

"Renji," Byakuya said softly, "remove your gigai. I may not be able to see you in shinigami form…but I can feel everything. I just want to be with you the way you really are…the way I remember you."

Renji nodded slowly, then stood and slipped out of the gigai. He slipped back into bed and wrapped his body around Byakuya's.

"Is that better?" he whispered into the shell of an ear.

"Yes," Byakuya said, closing his eyes and running his hands down the redhead's body, "This is the way I remember you, Renji. This is how you really are…and when I'm with you like this…it isn't so hard to remember myself, the way I was."

Renji kissed him warmly.

"The way you will be again."

Byakuya rubbed his cheek against Renji's.

"The way I will be again," he agreed softly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kisuke felt the soft brush of a hell butterfly touching his nose and his eyes blinked open. He nudged a snoring Ichigo aside and sat up, listening as the butterfly delivered its message. The tone of Yoruichi's voice left him uneasy and the message did nothing to ease the feeling.

_Kisuke, Rukia and I went directly to the newspaper administrator's office, but it looks like we were too late. They said that the administrator looks to have died of natural causes and because there were no signs of foul play, they don't plan any further investigation. I think they're making a mistake. I managed to purloin some samples from the body that I'm bringing them back so Tessai can study them. But you and Ichigo should follow the plan to join Byakuya and Renji at the safe house. I just have a bad feeling about all of this…and we still don't know where Tadashi is. He's probably waiting somewhere in hiding until he is sure that Byakuya is dead. Once he emerges, you can be sure that Orochi will track him down and make sure he knows that Byakuya is still alive. There was no way to hide the fact he survived from the council. They have ways of knowing when their clan leader dies. Things are going to get even more dangerous now. Be careful._

"Well…that wasn't real reassuring, was it?" Kisuke muttered.

He turned and nudged his sleeping lover awake. Ichigo squinted up at him, looking offended at having been awakened.

"What is it?" he asked, yawning.

"We should go now," Kisuke said, "We shouldn't leave them unguarded."

Ichigo nodded and rolled to his feet. They dressed quickly and made their way out into the evening darkness. They moved away at flash step speed.

A slim, hooded figure turned as they flashed by and silently moved to follow.


	12. Wounded Heart

**Chapter 12: Wounded Heart**

Byakuya rolled over and found himself alone in bed. Instinctively, he tried to search out the redhead's reiatsu, but was quickly reminded that he could not sense reiatsu. Sighing, he stretched and climbed out of bed, slipping into his clothes and making his way down the hallway and down the stairs. He was surprised to find that Renji was not in the kitchen or any of the other rooms. He walked to the large balcony that overlooked the beach and as he stepped outside, he heard the sounds of fighting.

Renji stood in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, squared off against a similarly clad Ichigo. The two flash stepped at each other, slashing and blocking, moving so fast, they became a blur. He watched as they spun and crashed into each other, pulled away and turned to slash at each other again. He felt an odd feeling pass through him.

It wasn't like there was anything wrong with what he was looking at. It was perfectly normal, he told himself, for two young shinigamis to be up early and out on the sand, working their bodies and honing their fighting skills. He probably should be training as well, especially since his human body needed the exercise. He needed to build up its strength. But standing there looking at the two shinigamis, the thought of being out there, moving slower than the slowest of the shinigamis, striking with human strength and having Renji going easy on him so as not to damage him…left him feeling less than enthusiastic.

Then there was the issue of Ichigo's presence. As much as he had come to appreciate the boy's abilities, what he couldn't stomach was his attitude. He was brash and stubborn…did what he wanted to regardless of what he was told. And Ichigo had bent his pride severely. It had, of course been both necessary and the right thing to do…but…as he watched the way the two young men locked their bodies against each other, how their eyes held each other and how much enjoyment they were getting out of the exchange, he felt a harsh burning inside. He swallowed hard and looked away.

Then he heard a lot of splashing and…laughter.

They were in the water up to their knees, still locked in fighting position and flash stepping madly. Renji had obviously improved in his speed and Ichigo was as brutally swift as always. Renji spun around Ichigo, slashing and howling…and Ichigo calmly stuck out a leg and tripped him. The move itself was both innocuous and well executed. But as Byakuya watched Renji crash down into the water, watched the spray flying in all directions and heard the laughter, the feeling of fire under his skin increased.

If he wasn't weak, if he wasn't powerless, he would have flash stepped out and told the two to end the noisy and disturbing display, but something told him that his presence wouldn't have the necessary effect now.

So he stood watching.

He watched the two roll around in the water, wrestling for dominance. He watched them giggle like schoolgirls and splash water in each other's faces. They were very obviously enjoying the exchange.

And Byakuya felt himself suddenly trembling with rage. But even out and out rage didn't have the same effect now. The fiery glare in the deep gray eyes had no flare of power behind it. He didn't feel the force building beneath his anger or the reiatsu spinning and gaining velocity. And as the fury grew, his body couldn't seem to contain it. It built up and pushed against his mind until it started to seep from him. It made his brow furrow deeply, his limbs shake, and his stomach clench as tightly as his fists. All of a sudden, he couldn't stand the sight of Ichigo rolling around on the sand, in the water with his lover anymore. But he wasn't going to be able to stop them. If he moved, dropped down onto the beach and told them to stop, he could almost hear Ichigo laugh at him.

Because he was ridiculously weak…and how could he stop them? What force was there behind the anger? He couldn't do anything. His eyes closed against the burn of restrained tears and his breath hitched.

He turned back toward the house, intending to go inside, but as he turned, he opened his eyes and caught sight of his reflection. He swallowed hard and stared. His feelings were clearly displayed on his face and in his body language. His eyes flared with disgust, his muscles tightened and his lower lip trembled. He realized suddenly that he looked like a child about to explode into a temper tantrum.

It was the most humiliating thing, standing there staring at himself, not able to hold back the emotion, not able to hide it…and too weak to act on it. It was one of the worst feelings he had ever experienced.

Then Ichigo's laugh sounded…burst through his tormented mind, ignited the swell of emotion and made him descend into something that felt like madness. His body moved instinctively…but the instincts weren't human. They were shinigami. He was up on the railing in a heartbeat, then he lost his balance and he was falling. He realized immediately the stupidity of what was happening, but it was done and he couldn't stop it. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain of impact.

Instead, he heard a gasp, the hiss of a flash step, and suddenly, he was caught in midair and carried down the rest of the way to the beach. And it was not Renji who held him.

It was Ichigo.

He was staring into what Byakuya imagined was an extremely hateful expression and smiling.

"Hey," he said, not unkindly, "did you forget for a moment? What were you thinking? You can't just jump off of things like that! You could have broken a leg or something."

"Release me immediately!" Byakuya snapped.

Ichigo set him down and stepped back. The look in his eyes was curious. He studied Byakuya's dark expression and realization spread across his face.

Then he started to laugh again.

Byakuya's body moved without thought. Despite the lack of shinigami speed, he took Ichigo by surprise with a sudden hard blow that sent him to the sand in a tumble of arms and legs.

"HEY! What the fuck was that for?" Ichigo yelled, "Byakuya! What the hell is wrong with you?"

And now Renji was staring.

And Renji was so good at reading him. It wouldn't take him long to figure out what was happening. And suddenly Byakuya wanted to sink into the sand and disappear. Because what he had done was so stupid! So humiliating. So damned human.

He whirled and started down the beach, ignoring Renji's plea for him to wait. He groaned at the lack of places into which he might disappear. He suddenly hated the openness of the beach and longed for the cover of the forest trees at home.

But he couldn't go home.

He crossed a small sand hill and sat down, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He dropped his head onto his arms and stared out across the water, watching the waves rise and fall. He felt Renji approach and then the warmth of the redhead's body sitting next to his. He didn't say anything, but a warm arm wrapped around him.

Byakuya still felt that burn of anger, but now the regret felt stronger. Renji hadn't done anything wrong. He wasn't the one who had read too much into what he was seeing, had overreacted and done something both stupid and dangerous. And Renji wasn't the one who needed to apologize.

But Byakuya couldn't make himself say the words. He couldn't make his body move. The situation was just too humiliating. Byakuya focused on breathing slowly in and out, forcing down the sickness at his own pathetic display.

"Byakuya?"

He couldn't look at Renji. He was too ashamed. He continued to stare out over the crashing waves.

"Look…I'm sorry about that. I thought you were sleeping and when Ichigo offered to train with me, I…"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Byakuya said quietly.

"But I should have thought that you might be awake soon. And I should have thought how seeing us training…"

"You should train with Ichigo. You need to work with someone who can challenge you. You don't want to work too much with someone you have to hold back with."

"But I should have given it more thought. I know Ichigo steps on your pride," Renji said softly.

"Ichigo didn't do anything wrong either. I was feeling sorry for myself and had an overly emotional response to a very understandable exchange of friendship. You aren't the one who should be apologizing."

Renji went silent for a moment.

"Will you leave me for a while?" Byakuya asked in a weary voice.

Renji stared at him wordlessly. Byakuya felt the warmth of Renji's arm leave his shoulder and felt the coldness as he moved away.

The beach was quiet again.

And the rage was gone too. But the ache of regret wouldn't leave him. It was a useless emotion, he knew. But he felt it just the same. It wasn't so much having succumbed to jealousy, but that it had taken control of him in such a way, that it had made him act so foolishly, like a ridiculous schoolgirl.

"Kicking yourself?" Kisuke's voice said, scattering his thoughts and sending a pulse of annoyance through him, "Feeling lousy for overreacting?"

He looked up at the offending shinigami.

"Well," said Kisuke, "don't kick yourself too hard. You had a very understandable response for someone not used to dealing with the intensity of human emotion. Don't be too hard on yourself…and try not to take this stuff out on Renji. He's scared to death he's going to lose you. When I suggested that they train, I was trying to take his mind off of that. You might keep that in mind the next time you feel like losing your temper. You may be the one stuck in a human body, but there are other people who are affected by this, too."

Byakuya turned his head and stared out over the water.

"Just something to think about while you're sitting there wallowing in self pity."

There was the swish of a flash step and he was alone again.

He hated that Kisuke was right, both in his estimation of Byakuya's idiotic behavior and in his admonishment. He owed Renji an apology. He might owe Ichigo one as well, but he wasn't going to go there. There was too much residual emotion there.

Instead, he sat quietly on the beach, breathing and letting his emotions drain away with the retreating tide. He felt the calm returning to his body, but the ache of sadness stubbornly refused to leave his heart.

He buried his face in his arms and closed his eyes

He suddenly found himself wishing that Tadashi had been a little more accurate…a little more effective.

Because, even death couldn't feel as awful as being weak.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Don't let him get to you, Renji. You didn't do anything wrong. He'll figure that out…eventually," Ichigo said, taking a bite of his sandwich, "Just let him sit and think about it."

"Shut up, Ichigo," Renji muttered, contemplating his own food.

He sighed and turned his head to look out the window. Byakuya still sat on the beach, resting his head on his arms.

"You don't get how hard this is for him."

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "I'm human every day. There's nothing wrong with it, despite how he looks down on us and acts like there is."

"Idiot!" Renji snapped, "That's not what this is about!"

He stared harder at Byakuya.

"Byakuya was raised to believe that emotion makes a person weak. And in his clan, weakness is not tolerated. Byakuya is without a trace of his power. And more than that, he is feeling emotions that, because of the unfamiliarity of that human form, he's not yet able to control. How would you feel going from being the strongest shinigami to being a human with no powers at all? It isn't about simple pride. It's that he's really lost himself, Ichigo. Tadashi did worse than killing him. Because I can tell you from knowing Byakuya, death would be a relief at this point. It isn't being human that's the problem. It's being unable to do what he feels is the most important thing…to protect the ones he loves. Byakuya's power wasn't about dominance. It was about protection. And now he can't even protect himself. It tears him up, being powerless to protect anyone."

He turned to look at Ichigo.

"And I seem to recall you being torn up in just that same way, more than once."

Ichigo lowered his eyes, remembering. Then he nodded.

"Yeah," he said softly, "I guess I can see your point."

He followed Renji's eyes as the redhead turned back to look at Byakuya.

"So what are you going to do?" Ichigo asked quietly.

Renji sighed.

"I don't know. I don't know that there's anything I can do. I'm worried though, Ichigo. In all of the time I've known Byakuya…even when he lost his powers after getting hit with Gin's blade, I've never seen him so shaky…so beaten down. Usually, shit like this just pisses him off and makes him fight harder. But he doesn't seem to be fighting back at all. And that scares the shit out of me, Ichigo. Because if he's going to get himself out of this, he has to be committed to fighting. He has to fight this thing tooth and nail. And right now…I just don't see that happening."

A slow smile was growing on Ichigo's face.

"Well, Renji," he said, pushing his plate aside, "maybe we need to do something about that."

Renji frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it," Ichigo said, his smile growing, "What would you be doing…if it was me?"

Renji froze.

"I'd be down on that beach telling you to get off your ass and fight."

"Exactly," Ichigo said, standing and picking up his zanpakutou.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya heard the odd thump of something hitting the sand next to him and turned his head. To his surprise, Senbonzakura laid in the sand beside him. He didn't have to look up to sense the three swordsmen positioned around him.

"Get up," Kisuke said solemnly, "Draw your blade and fight. If you don't, Renji here might not cut you for it…but Renji isn't the one you have to worry about. You see, both Ichigo and I know the exact limits of what your body can tolerate. And if you don't fight at the peak of that ability, then we will cut you."

There was a breath of hesitation…then a pale hand extended and slid the long blade free. A moment later, Byakuya was moving with all of the speed his human body could handle, throwing himself against the force of the incoming strikes with every bit of strength he could bring to bear. He felt the light sting of a blow connecting and blood cooling on his skin. It didn't make him angry. It didn't make him feel weak. He was shocked to realize that it made him feel…_alive_.

He might not have the power, the strength he had before, but there was grace in his movements, confidence in the motion of his weapon. They could move faster and get inside his guard, but when they did, they paid for it. Because being human hadn't changed the fact that Byakuya was a master swordsman…and no one would take him easily while he held Senbonzakura in his hand.

He blocked a cut from one sword and his body turned swiftly to meet the next. He felt something rising up inside and thought it must be exhilaration brought on by the fighting.

But something else was happening.

Senbonzakura was beginning to glow.

He felt the hum of power beneath his hand, then the pressure building in his chest as the spiritual pressure increased. His reaction was instinctive.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura."

Petal blades exploded around him and Byakuya felt the swell of power inside for one ominous moment. Then everything went black and he felt himself begin to fall.


	13. Threshold

**Chapter 13: Threshold**

"What the hell!" Renji yelled.

There was a flash of power as the three facing Byakuya shielded themselves from the incoming blades and when the light faded, Byakuya was lying facedown in the sand with his hand still wrapped tightly around the hilt of his zanpakutou. The petals faded and the blade slowly returned to its sealed form.

"What happened?" Renji asked, flash stepping and dropping down next to Byakuya, "He's not supposed to have any power! How did he do that?"

Kisuke shook his head.

"Damn! I was hoping this wouldn't happen."

Renji looked up at him in confusion.

"Isn't this good? Doesn't it mean he's coming back? Regaining his shinigami powers?" he asked.

Kisuke shook his head.

"You don't understand. It isn't like his shinigami form is trapped inside that body somewhere. Byakuya is human. Now, some humans have powers…and the centers necessary to support them, but that isn't true here. Byakuya's human form isn't supposed to have any spirit centers and shouldn't allow any connection with his zanpakutou. It suggests that the technology of the human form was altered before being used on him. And that could be good or bad. Now, he has a connection with Senbonzakura…and he instinctively draws power from his weapon whenever it is in his hand. In this case, instinct overcame nature. Senbonzakura felt Byakuya's emotion…that he wanted the power. He couldn't help himself any more than Byakuya could. He loosed the power and because Byakuya has no way to control it, Senbonzakura's power hit him like an attack."

"Well, what do we do?" Renji asked frantically, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Bring him up to the house," Kisuke said calmly, "and hurry. He doesn't look so good."

Renji carefully extracted the weapon from Byakuya's hand and returned it to the sheath, then lifted Byakuya into his arms. He followed Kisuke and Ichigo up into the house and set Byakuya down on the bed.

Kisuke leaned over the noble, studying him carefully. He extended his hands over Byakuya's body, carefully scanning from head to toe. As his hands passed over the noble's heart, he felt something odd and increased the energy focused on the area. His brow furrowed as he studied the area, thinking. He looked up at Renji and Ichigo.

"This could take a while, but I can tell you that he is going to be all right…for now. This wasn't good for the human form he's in. You have to realize…every exposure to spirit energy steals a bit of life from the body he's in. And he just took a pretty heavy hit. He'll be out for a while. While he is, I want the two of you to take over guard duty for me. Don't let anything get in here. He's vulnerable right now. "

Renji and Ichigo nodded and left the room. Kisuke waited until they were gone, then placed his hands on Byakuya's chest and sent a shock of spirit energy into the area. The noble's body twitched sharply in response and the dark eyes opened. He blinked several times and his eyes slowly focused on Kisuke. Kisuke smiled.

"Welcome back, Captain Kuchiki," he said quietly.

Byakuya stared at him in silence for a moment, then his eyes scanned the room.

"I sent Renji and Ichigo to stand guard," Kisuke said, looking into Byakuya's eyes, "You and I need to talk."

Byakuya sat up slowly.

"Do you understand what just happened to you?" Kisuke asked.

"I believe I somehow managed to release Senbonzakura," Byakuya replied, meeting his eyes squarely.

"Yes…well, something like that. I just completed a scan of your body and I discovered something unexpected. I thought you would prefer that I talk to you alone before involving Renji in this, because what I found could have major repercussions."

"And what is it that you found?" asked Byakuya.

"Before I answer that, I want to remind you that your human form was first conceived and constructed when I was captain of Squad Twelve. I was not responsible for its creation or development. I actually learned of it, studied it…and shut down the research on it after a couple of shinigamis died in the test run. I deemed the technology too dangerous to be useful. I ordered that all information related to it should be destroyed. But it looks like someone didn't exactly follow orders…and the information survived. Now, the human form you're in is not exactly what I remember witnessing. It has been modified so that it is a bit more stable. It seems able to withstand more punishment. And this inception of it has something the ones I saw didn't…an active spirit receptor. As you know, shinigamis have spirit centers that control the channeling of reiatsu. The spirit receptor doesn't direct it…it gathers the energy and spins it inside the chamber it occupies…in this case, your heart."

He looked at Byakuya meaningfully.

I believe that this chamber and spirit receptor are meant to work together to assist the human in returning to shinigami form. The way I think it works is that when a large enough shot of reiatsu is directed through it, it opens a vortex that will carry you into your inner world…and that is where you have to go to face Senbonzakura to regain your shinigami form."

Byakuya thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. Kisuke lowered his eyes.

"I see you have come to the reason why I am speaking to you alone. I am a firm believer that one shouldn't know too much in advance of the making of some decisions. And so I thought that you would know best how this should play out. Understand?"

Byakuya nodded.

"I understand. And I am grateful to you for your discretion."

"Now, I'm still working on how to address the fact that when you go into the vortex, you will not have any powers. I think I may have a way to address that, but because it is your inner world, I need to know your thoughts on my plan."

Byakuya listened and his eyes widened as Kisuke laid out his plan. He was silent, both during the delivery of the plan and after hearing it. He was so withdrawn that Kisuke wasn't certain that he would ever form an answer. But finally, he looked up.

"Kisuke Urahara," he said quietly, "I need to consider this carefully. I would ask that while I do that you continue to honor my need for privacy on this matter. I don't wish for Renji or Ichigo to hear of it until I am ready to move forward. It would be a great burden for them…one I would spare them…for as long as is possible. I agree with you that some choices should be made in the moment."

Kisuke nodded in agreement.

"I think you are making a very wise decision, Captain. Think carefully. But remember that the amount of time you have to think about this is limited. Once the form begins to fail, the time will be upon us. Be sure then, that you are prepared to act swiftly. A hesitation at the wrong moment could cost you everything."

"Kisuke Urahara," Byakuya said softly, "I assure you that I am aware of my exact position."

"Very well, then. I'll go take up guard duty and send Renji along. He's pretty worried about you…and he's right to be worried. I think you're going to find it very difficult to keep him in the dark, Captain. Renji seems quite capable when it comes to reading you. You had best be cautious."

Byakuya nodded silently and watched as Kisuke left. Left alone, the noble slid down into the pillows. He closed his eyes and thought deeply. He wondered where the line was between being honest and doing the right thing. In a perfect world, the two would be one in the same, but locked in the living world left Byakuya in a world that was about as far from perfect as he had ever been.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I brought you some tea," Renji said, setting the cup in Byakuya's hands.

It was the oldest of rituals they shared and it went back to a time when Byakuya was a cold, introverted bastard and Renji was the subordinate out to undo him. It had started as a way to bridge the distance between two distant souls…and now it was something sacred that always seem to bring them back to the center of who they were.

"Arigato, Renji," Byakuya said quietly, watching as Renji sat down on the bed beside him.

Renji watched in silence, his brown eyes troubled.

"So how are you feeling now?" he asked finally.

Byakuya swallowed the tea, but found that he was unable to taste it.

"I am fine now, Renji. I did not suffer any ill effects from the unexpected release of Senbonzakura. You needn't worry."

"I'm not just worried about that, Byakuya. I just need to know…I need to be sure that you are in this and fighting with everything you have."

Byakuya nodded.

"I am, Renji."

He looked down at his hands and smoothed the blanket they rested on.

"Renji…I owe you an apology. Before…the way I acted…was inexcusable. I hope you know that it only happened because I wasn't myself. I don't know what came over me. The emotions are so much stronger in this human form that sometimes they just take over. I am improving in my control of them, but I have a long way to go yet."

Renji moved over and rested his head on Byakuya's shoulder.

"I know that…and I don't care. Byakuya, it has to be hard as hell to deal with all of the shit you have going on. I don't know how you manage it. I don't know that I could be that strong…but I'm here for you. I want to help you. I love you…"

Byakuya turned and nuzzled beneath Renji's chin, burrowing into his shoulder.

"I love you, too."

"I just wish there was something I could do to help you. I feel so damned useless."

Byakuya lifted his head and took Renji's face in his hands.

"Renji," he said, bringing his face close to the redhead's, "you are not useless. If you hadn't found me in that alley when you did…I would be dead already. You found me and you didn't leave my side when I was struggling to survive…and you are here now, calming me and giving me the strength to fight. I wouldn't have the strength to do this if not for you. So don't tell me that you feel useless. I don't want you to feel that way. The only thing I want you to feel…is loved. As long as we have love, it doesn't matter where this ends."

"Byakuya?"

Renji hand rose tentatively and brushed away the tear that had formed in the corner of one dark, shadowed eye. He looked into Byakuya's eyes and felt very strongly that there was something the noble wasn't saying…something tormenting him.

"Byakuya, what is it? What aren't you telling me?" he asked, placing his hands over Byakuya's.

Byakuya stared deeply into his eyes.

"Renji…you have heard me say from time to time that there are some things that cannot be decided until all of the facts play out. This is one such time. I will tell you in honesty that I do not know exactly what will happen…how I will regain my shingami form. What I do know is that I will depend on your strength. I need you to be incredibly strong, because as you can see, my own strength comes and goes. There may come a time when you feel your strength failing. If that should happen…remember this. Remember what we're fighting for. If you hold that in your mind, you will be able to help me. Will you trust me then, Renji?"

"Will I trust you?" Renji asked, feeling an uneasy twinge inside, "Byakuya…of course I trust you. Why do you even ask?"

Byakuya's cheek brushed warmly against his.

"I ask because it is important. I ask because I need to know that when I turn to you, you will be there for me…and you will do as I ask…no matter how difficult it is."

"Byakuya…" Renji said, touching his face, "you are really scaring me. I know that there's something you're not telling me…something important. Please tell me. Don't try to take this on yourself…talk to me."

Byakuya leaned forward and placed a long, slow kiss on his mouth.

"Renji…I don't know as much as you think. I just…have some suspicions, but like you, I must wait to see how things play out. Waiting is difficult, especially locked inside this over-reactive body."

He kissed Renji again, more deeply and with greater urgency.

"I need to know you are with me, Renji. I need to feel your arms around me. I can do this, but I cannot do it without you. Be with me…"

Renji found himself meeting Byakuya's kisses with urgent kisses of his own. He knew there were still things that Byakuya wasn't saying, but he also sensed that he had what he must feel were valid reasons for holding back. And he hadn't lied and said there was nothing being left unsaid. He had asked for Renji's trust…and even though it hurt to yield it, even though he knew there were secrets, he had to trust his lover. Byakuya would not hold back unless he had to…unless something made it necessary.

But the secrets left a chill in his heart.

He turned to his lover to find warmth again and found himself buried deep within Byakuya's arms…sinking into the heated, searching mouth and feeling Byakuya's heart racing beneath his skin. Pale hands tore away their clothing and then seemed to touch him everywhere…touches filled with love, with tenderness, with desperation.

_Bya, what aren't you saying?_

His body strained against Renji's and Renji could feel that he was shaking.

"I'm with you," he whispered, "and whatever it is, we'll face it together. I won't fail you, Byakuya. I won't let you die. I didn't in that alley after Tadashi attacked you and I won't now."

Byakuya answered him with an explosion of warmth…of kisses and touches that carried away his words and made everything around them disappear. The noble plunged into his lover's body, gripping him tightly, like one hanging on for dear life. And Renji was there just as he had promised, meeting each heavy, penetrating thrust with raised hips and clenched hands.

The pleasure overtook them and sent them spiraling into oblivion. They held each other tightly, each loathe to release his hold on the other…their firm grip a promise of what would always be. It didn't matter what happened. They would face it together.

Byakuya turned and sank into Renji's embrace. He rested there, brushing the sides of his face with softer kisses…watching as Renji very slowly succumbed to sleep.

And when his lover slept, he carefully pulled free. He dressed quietly, looking back at Renji with deeply shadowed eyes. He slipped out of the room and made his way through the darkened house, down the steps and onto the cold sands of the beach. He walked the edges of the water, listening to the surf pounding and rolling in to hiss against the shore. It hadn't been easy holding back. And Renji wasn't fooled into thinking that Byakuya had told him everything. But it was very much as Kisuke had said. Things must be allowed to play out and they must make their decisions in the moment. There was no use in thinking ahead. It would only drive him crazy with despair. And despair was an emotion that Byakuya could not afford to feel. He had to trust that Kisuke's plan would work. He had to trust in the plan…even if it killed him.


	14. Show Me What it's Like to be Alive

**Chapter 14: Show Me What it's Like to be Alive**

_As I watch you sleep, I realize that there is nothing more perfect than you face, relaxed and calm in slumber, and lit with moonlight. It's hard to watch the glow fade away at the end of night, but then morning comes and your eyes open…and I'll have another day beside you. I didn't know before now what each day meant…how precious each moment was. But pain and death exist to remind us that every day is a treasure, every hour a gift, and every moment may be our last chance to say, "I love you." If we say it, feel it, live it deeply enough…it doesn't have to fade like footprints on sand._

Renji woke to mingled sensations of softness, sweetness and warmth. He realized quickly that he was resting beneath a blanket of flower petals, that they were the source of the softness that tickled his skin and the sweet scent that woke his senses. There was something incredibly warm wrapped around his body. He opened his eyes and squinted against the bright morning light that surrounded Byakuya, lighting his body and making him look like an angel.

The dark eyes blinked slowly and his face lowered to come closer to Renji's. His lips were touched with softness and Renji couldn't tell at first if it was more of the flower petals or if his lover's lips were meeting his. Then the warmth of them reached him and began to radiate as Byakuya mouth moved against his and brought his to life. His lips parted and welcomed the noble's tongue as it slowly slipped inside, curled around his, then moved on to touch and slowly tease the surfaces. And it wasn't just the fact of being kissed by Byakuya, it was the gentleness of touch and motion, the way Byakuya's hands held his face, the soft shiver of happiness that seemed to pass through both of them. He didn't remember ever being touched with such tenderness, such reverence, such respect. He loved how it felt. He loved it so that he didn't want it to end. He loved it so much that he ached inside when the noble's mouth broke away from his. He felt as though his breath had been taken away and a soft moan escaped him.

But Byakuya's mouth returned a moment later to kiss each soft eyelid, to brush their way down the side of his face and to capture a soft earlobe, to nip it gently, then to move down the length of his throat, tracing the black markings with his fingertips, then following with light wet strokes of his tongue. He traveled the length and breadth of the redhead's body this way, touching and tasting, the feel of his breath on Renji's skin sending dizzying shivers through the redhead. He clung to Byakuya's strong body, pulling him closer, straining his body against it, pleading silently for release.

The noble pressed against him, turned his body gently and continued in a slow, unhurried exploration of every last inch of Renji's writhing, wanting form.

_So this is what it's like to be brought to life,_ Byakuya thought, _It does feel different knowing…but it isn't being human that does this. It is the closeness of death that heightens every sensation…I was wrong to view the difference between shinigami and human as I did. In truth, we have this one thing in common. Death takes us in its own time…and it doesn't matter what the form of life…everything is intensified when one feels death so near. I was arrogant in forgetting that we never know the number of days, or breaths or heartbeats. Having a longer lifespan is no guarantee of a longer life._

He rested along the length of Renji's back, enjoying the warmth that radiated between them, releasing the scent of the sakura petals they lay upon. He brought his face to rest between the redhead's shoulders, nuzzling closer, then burrowing into the thick red mane.

_So it comes down to this…to the binding of lives together, to the struggle to survive, to the endeavor to leave something in our wake. Renji, I hope that we will have something beautiful that we bring to the world, that we can share, that we can leave behind. I won't believe that we will lose each other before then. I will not give in to despair. It doesn't matter that death stands so close beside me. I will hold on to you and I will not let it take me from you. I only wish I could open my mouth to warn you, to share the burden of this, to know that I wasn't alone. But that is selfish of me. I would rather lie here with you and feel your beauty and your love wrap around me. Yours is the soul that resonates with mine…the one I've waited for…the one I will live for…the one I would die for…_

"Byakuya…"

He trembled softly. Renji turned in his arms and sat up, bringing Byakuya with him. He was staring, and with good reason. The noble turned and buried his face in the redhead's shoulder. But it was too late to hide his tears.

"Forgive me, Renji," Byakuya whispered, "I can't seem to stop them."

XXXXXXXXXX

Tadashi woke with a horrid ache in his head, neck, back and worst, in his heart. He had fallen asleep at the small table in the apartment where he hid from those who would find him and kill him. It was bad enough to have transformed a captain and clan leader into a human and to have attacked him…but to have tried to kill Byakuya Kuchiki and then to learn that he had done so in error…that Byakuya had been telling the truth…that he had never laid a hand on Takashi! He couldn't stand looking at himself in the mirror.

He wondered briefly where Nia was. She had promised to come back to the apartment as soon as she felt she was not being watched. He sighed in resignation. There was nothing to do but wait while things calmed down.

But waiting was beyond difficult for him. He was exhausted, but he feared sleeping, because it always brought on the nightmares…the ones in which he stabbed Byakuya…again and again. He could feel the closeness of the captain's body, could smell the blood, and could hear the icy hatred in his words. It tore at him and refused to let him rest.

He had only meant to protect his brother's honor, but instead he had nearly destroyed the very person Takashi had given his life to save. He wondered what Takashi would feel about him if he knew. He wouldn't have hated him for it. He wasn't the kind to do that. But Tadashi hated himself. He couldn't forgive himself. When he thought of how Byakuya had tried to explain…and how he had refused to listen…

But there was no point in thinking about it now. While it was true that he hadn't killed the captain, it was still a death penalty offense to attack an officer. And if the Gotei 13 didn't execute him, then the Kuchiki nobles would have him assassinated for laying hands on their clan leader. Either way, Tadashi would soon be as dead as his twin. He wiped the tears from his face. He knew he deserved it, no matter who killed him. It was just horrible waiting to know who would kill him.

He sighed and dragged himself to his feet. Despite what was coming, he was still alive and breathing…if one could call what he was doing living. He started toward the bathroom, planning to take a shower to relax himself. He had moved out of the kitchen and was turning down the hall when he heard a soft sound behind him. He turned and his body froze. Ice formed in his veins as his eyes met those he thought, at first, belonged to Byakuya. But a moment later, he realized that these eyes were more narrow and the body was more thin and angular. There was a mean look about this Kuchiki clan member. He glared at Tadashi.

"You tried to kill our clan leader," he said, stepping forward and placing a hand on his zanpakutou.

Tadashi lowered his eyes. Something that felt like a shiver of relief passed through him It was time. He was going to die. He only wished he had gotten to see Nia one more time.

"I admit…when I believed that Captain Kuchiki dishonored my brother, I did transform him. I did seek to kill him…but I was wrong! I was so wrong!"

He bowed his head.

"Go ahead and kill me," he said softly, "It's only what I deserve."

He waited for the blow to fall. Strangely, nothing touched him. He looked up again. The clan member glared down at him.

"Why haven't you killed me?" he asked, trembling.

The man smiled, sending another tremor through Tadashi.

"I haven't come to kill you, Tadashi," he said softly, "I've come to make you an offer. I will arrange for you and your family to disappear together from the Seireitei, so that you may be together in exile. It is the only way to avoid a death penalty."

"And what must I do to in return for this?" asked Tadashi, blinking slowly.

The eyes of the other gleamed.

"You must fix your mistake, of course," he said ominously, "You must kill Byakuya Kuchiki…and you must let everyone believe that you did it to avenge your brother."

"It was a mistake," Tadashi said, his eyes widening, "The captain never harmed my brother. I cannot hurt him knowing he is innocent."

The Kuchiki clan member stepped closer.

"I thought you might give me a little trouble, so I met with your sister first…"

"Nia? Where is she?" Tadashi demanded, "Where have you taken my sister?"

"I will bring her to the place where they are hiding Captain Kuchiki. You will kill him and I will release her. But if you betray me…if you give me away? I will kill her. Do not think for a moment that I won't. I even have a reason. Having sheltered you, she is now an accomplice!"

"Nia was never involved in this! Never! You…you can't do this!" he stammered.

Orochi closed the distance between them and took Tadashi by the throat.

"You have forgotten your place, gutter rat!" he sneered, "You will do as I tell you or you and your sister will die!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji held Byakuya against his shoulder and ran his fingers through the long black, silken hair. The noble's hands tightened slightly, but the trembling in his body ceased and he gave a shivering sigh.

"Byakuya…you're human," Renji said softly, "And more than that, you are newly human. Hell, most humans have years while they grow up to adjust to their bodies and to learn to control their emotions! You've had barely any time at all! And besides, I've never believed what you said about tears and weakness. I've seen very strong people cry, Byakuya. And the strongest people don't cry out of weakness. Their tears are a sign that they are finding their strength. I think that's all you're doing. I think you're finding your strength."

Byakuya managed a short, sarcastic laugh.

"I'm not strong, Renji," he said in a low voice, "I am sickeningly weak. I couldn't defeat the lowest of hollows. I can't stand in your presence without that pendant you wear. My own zanpakutou's power injures me…and my emotions are raging out of control."

Renji pulled away and looked into Byakuya's still-wet eyes.

"Then I think you need some kind of distraction. Hell, all you've really experienced as a human are unpleasant parts of it. There are good things about being alive…at least, that's what Ichigo always tells me. Maybe what you need is to spend some time doing some more pleasant things."

"Like what?" Byakuya asked, furrowing his brow.

"Like…let's make breakfast together, then go down and walk on the beach. Let's collect seashells and put our feet in the water."

Byakuya couldn't quite hide the tolerant smile that crept onto his face.

"And you think this will help me? How?" he asked.

Renji leaned forward and kissed his lips warmly.

"It will give you some quality time with me and it will take your mind off of your troubles for a while."

Renji took Byakuya's hand and pulled him to his feet. He handed the noble some clothes he pulled out of a drawer and, gazing curiously at Renji, Byakuya slipped into them. He followed Renji into the kitchen and soon found himself immersed in helping the redhead prepare and lay out their meal. It wasn't, Byakuya found, the meal that made the time well spent. It was looking into Renji's eyes, the way their hands touched as they handed things to each other. It was in the way they descended into kisses as they waited for the water to boil for tea. Such simple things…and yet they felt like so much more, now.

They sat at the table on the balcony, leaned against each other and looking out over the sea as they slowly ate. The words they exchanged were simple too…simple and precious.

They set their dishes in the sink and Byakuya followed Renji down to the beach. They walked barefoot in the shallow water. And as Renji had suggested, they picked up more than a few shells. He was amazed at how pleasant it felt, sliding his fingers over them in his pockets as he continued to walk barefoot in the sand. They came to a rocky area and found a secret cache of beautiful little tide pools. They lay on their stomachs side-by-side, touching sea urchins, starfish, crabs and sea cucumbers with light fingertips.

"You were right, Renji," Byakuya said, reaching out to stroke the soft surface of a sea cucumber, "I did need this. It does seem strange that there is so much in the simple things…or maybe it isn't in things at all. It's in what happens between us while we encounter these things. Everything just seems better when I share it with you."

Renji nodded.

"I feel that way too."

They left the tide pools and walked slowly back along the edge of the water, stopping every now and again to admire a bird flying over them, a boat on the water, or just the crashing and pounding of the waves.

Byakuya felt the strength returning to body and heart. Even knowing what Kisuke had revealed to him seemed more bearable, knowing that Renji would be at his side. But he knew now that it was wrong to keep the details from his lover. Renji needed to have some kind of warning. He needed to know what was coming so that he would know what needed to be done. None of it would be easy, he knew. But they could get through it if they just leaned on each other. He turned to Renji, finally ready to tell him everything. The redhead was standing with his back to Byakuya and his eyes focused out to the sea. Byakuya stepped forward.

"Renji," he began.

Then everything seemed to move in slow motion. Renji turned at the sound of his name. And as his head came around and his eyes met Byakuya's, a sudden look of deep distress crossed the noble's features. Renji's heart froze.

Plain on the noble's face were the signs of pain. His chest heaved as though he suddenly couldn't draw a breath. He swayed dizzily and his legs collapsed beneath him. Renji caught him and eased him to the sand.

"Byakuya!" Renji gasped worriedly, "Bya, what's wrong?"

Byakuya sank into Renji's arms, unable to answer.

"Byakuya?" Renji cried, "Byakuya!"

He lifted the now unconscious noble and raced up the stairs and back into the house, calling out to Kisuke. The former captain appeared out of nowhere with Ichigo on his heels. They followed Renji into the bedroom and the redhead placed Byakuya carefully in the bed. Kisuke stepped forward and leaned over the noble, examining him carefully.

"Kisuke," Renji said in a frightened voice, "What is this? What's happening to him?"

Kisuke sighed and shook his head.

"Time's getting short," he said solemnly, "This is the beginning of the end. From here on in, the waters are going to get rough. Byakuya's human form has begun to fail. He may be okay this time…maybe the next. But each time he goes down…could be his last."


	15. Necessary Words

**Chapter 15: Necessary Words**

_Byakuya's human form is beginning to fail…_

Renji couldn't get the words out of his mind. He rested against the pillows, holding a still-unconscious Byakuya against him, watching the rise and fall of his breathing and the soft shift of his body when he moved. He was regaining consciousness slowly…but at least he was going to wake. At least, that's what they thought. There was really no way to know.

The human form was experimental. There was no way to know which fall would be Byakuya's last. Before that happened, they had to find the answers, the way to return Byakuya to his shinigami form. The thought sent a shiver of dread through Renji. He knew that while Byakuya might not know the exact details of the process, he knew in general what it would take. And Renji knew that the fact Byakuya hadn't immediately revealed what he knew was a sure sign that whatever it was, it was going to be difficult for all of them.

_I can't stand this…_

He pulled Byakuya closer and sank his fingers into the dark, soft black hair. He leaned forward to place kisses on the soft, lightly moving eyelids.

_It has to be really bad or you would have just told me. It wasn't like you didn't want to tell me. I could see you struggling, but you just couldn't say the words. You only told me to stay beside you…to be ready to do whatever you asked. But Byakuya, what are you going to ask of me?_

Byakuya stirred in his arms and moaned softly. Then he burrowed more deeply into the redhead's arms.

_Whatever it is, I know it won't be easy. But if you ask something of me, I will do it…even if I hate myself for it. Because you mean that much to me. And I know you wouldn't ask me to do something painful or difficult if you could find another way. Maybe that's what you were using the time to do. To find another way… But you don't have to worry. I'll do what you ask, even if it kills me. I told you once that I was going to love you, no matter what the cost. You were afraid that the cost might be my life. You were ready to walk away because you didn't know if you could be that strong. Now it's you who may die and I am the one who is afraid, but I won't walk away. Even though it's hard, and I might lose you, Byakuya, I want every damned moment with you, even the ones that hurt._

Byakuya stirred again and his dark eyes blinked open. Renji felt the soft flutter of an eyelash touch his skin.

"Renji?" Byakuya whispered uncertainly, "What happened? I thought that we were on the beach. Was I just dreaming?"

Renji shook his head and kissed a furrowed eyebrow.

"You weren't dreaming," Renji assured him, "We were on the beach."

Byakuya's lips curved into a smile.

"Good," he said softly, "because I was enjoying our time together so much that it would have been…sad…if it turned out not to be real."

Renji forced a smile.

"Well it was real. Look," he said, pointing to a handful of shells that lay on the nightstand, "Those are the shells we picked up while we were walking on the beach. I found those in your pocket and I thought you would like to keep them."

"Arigato, Renji, I would."

He was quiet for a moment.

"Renji…my human form is beginning to fail, isn't it?" he asked softly.

Renji nodded, but said nothing.

Byakuya looked over at the shells on the nightstand.

"It's all right, Renji," Byakuya continued, sitting up, "It isn't like this was unexpected. We knew it was coming."

"I know," Renji said, sitting up and moving closer to Byakuya, "I guess that I just didn't expect it would be so soon. I thought there would be more time for finding a way to get you back the way you were."

"Well," said Byakuya, looking into his eyes, "Kisuke and I think we have some sense of what it will take."

He reached out and took one of Renji's hands in his.

"I think it's time for us to talk about what is coming. Some things are as of yet unknown, but some things can be expected."

Renji felt a shiver pass through him.

"Okay, Byakuya. If you're ready to talk about it, I'm ready to listen."

Byakuya raised the warm tanned hand to his lips and kissed it before bringing it to rest on his cheek.

"Renji…when Kisuke scanned my body after it was hit with Senbonzakura's release, he noticed something. What Kisuke noticed was that this body, though it has no spirit centers for channeling reiatsu, has a large spirit receptor. He suspects that the spirit receptor is there to capture a large infusion of reiatsu and to use it to create a vortex that will carry me to my inner world."

"So…we just fire some reiatsu through it and you go to your inner world. But that doesn't solve the problem of how to defend yourself once you are there, right."

Byakuya nodded.

"Kisuke said that during the testing, even though one of the shinigami reached his inner world, he couldn't defeat his zanpakutou, and he died. The other that died never reached his inner world. But…before his form failed, he began to suffer from power flares, losses of consciousness, fatigue and eventually, madness. Renji…they had to kill him because he went out of control and killed one of the scientists who was trying to help him."

Renji didn't say anything, but his face paled.

""What this tells Kisuke…what it tells me…is that whatever action we take, must happen before form failure makes the recovery of my shinigami form impossible."

"So you need to go to your inner world before then. We just need to figure out how to help you defeat your zanpakutou."

"Kisuke has an idea how we might do that. You see, because you and I are lovers, our zanpakutous have a connection, a resonance. Because of the resonance, if you or Zabimaru are in physical contact with me during the reiatsu infusion, you should be carried with me into my inner world. But Senbonzakura will be in his untamed form. And Kisuke and I think that it will take two shinigamis to have a hope of both defeating Senbonzakura and keeping me alive. But we may have a solution for that as well."

"What kind of solution?" Renji asked.

"Well…there is only one zanpakuto that has defeated my Senbonzakura. That is Zangetsu. Because of this, there is also a connection between the two. It is our intention to use that connection to bring Ichigo to my inner world as well. Once there, you and Ichigo would battle Senbonzakura on my behalf. If you are successful, everyone comes home…"

"Byakuya," Renji said quietly, "Not that it will happen, not with both Ichigo and I there, but what happens if we fail?"

Byakuya met Renji's eyes squarely.

"All three of us will die as my inner world collapses."

"Shit!" muttered Renji, "That's not good. But you know that Ichigo and I are going to be strong enough…working together like that…right?"

Byakuya sighed.

"I believe you will be, yes. But don't think this will be easy. We aren't sure that we will be able to get you both to my inner world at all. And once you are there, you must remember that the zanpakuto you will face is in its uncontrolled form. It will strike you with greater strength than what you faced when you opposed me before. And he may use attacks that I have not learned yet…extensions of ban kai that won't appear in me until later. It will be a very difficult battle. And Senbonzakura will be focusing all of his power on killing me."

"But…why? Why would your own zanpakutou want to kill you? Doesn't he know it will kill him too?"

"No…You see, the process used to transform me caused a break in our connection. Senbonzakura is disoriented and confused, uncertain what has happened to me. And when I appear in my inner world, he will not recognize me as his master. I am human and have no way to connect with him. It will drive him into a maddened rage and he will try to kill me."

"And I suppose he won't want to waste time talking about it."

"Not likely," Byakuya replied dryly, "Renji, right now, Senbonzakura is suffering. He is alone in my inner world…and because my human form is now failing, that world will begin to crumble. I know that if I were connected to him, I would feel him reaching out to me. But there is no connection. I cannot feel his presence at all…not even when I lift my sword."

Byakuya turned to look out the window.

"Renji…You also need to be aware that when you go to my inner world, it will be in a state of collapse. You have as much to fear from that as you do from Senbonzakura. Once there, you must act quickly."

Renji nodded.

"We will. Ichigo and I will do whatever we have to."

"Arigato, Renji," Byakuya said, leaning into him and placing his head on the redhead's shoulder, "I am grateful."

Renji sat quietly, holding Byakuya against him and thinking.

"Byakuya," he said softly, "there's still more to this, isn't there?"

Byakuya lifted his head and kissed Renji warmly.

"Your instincts serve you well, Renji. How did you know?" he asked, looking calmly into the troubled brown eyes.

"I know, because if everything you told me was all there was to this, then we wouldn't be sitting here. If that was all it was, we would infuse you with reiatsu and go now…before your form failed anymore. But we aren't doing that."

"No," Byakuya said, looking into his eyes, "We aren't."

"Why are we waiting?"

"We are waiting because there is a way that all of this has to be done…and the conditions for that are not yet suitable. You see, the spirit receptor in my body will only capture the reiatsu and open the vortex if the conditions are met."

Renji felt coldness in the pit of his stomach.

"And what are the conditions?"

"Right now, there is a force that is holding the spirit receptor in a state of suspension. Kisuke realized this when Senbonzakura's attack caused a reaction in the spirit receptor. He tested it and came to the conclusion that the receptor won't be able to capture the power to open the vortex until the force holding it back is sufficiently overcome. Once it is, then the receptor will awaken and the reiatsu can be fired through it."

"So why don't we just destroy whatever is holding the receptor back?" Renji asked, not liking the look in his lover's eyes.

"The reason," Byakuya said softly, "that we cannot simply destroy the force holding back the receptor…is because I am that force."

Renji's eyes widened.

"What? What do you mean, you're that force? How do you mean that?"

"The spirit receptor is surrounded by my flesh and my life force. For the receptor to be strong enough to awaken, those things must be breached…but carefully."

"What?" Renji managed in a harsh whisper.

"I mean that both flesh and spirit receptor must be pierced…but first the flesh, then as the life force weakens sufficiently, the awakening receptor."

Renji swallowed hard and struggled for words. He couldn't bear to ask the next question. He couldn't bear to hear the answer he already suspected…the reason why Byakuya had agonized over telling him. But he had to. So he blinked back the tears that rose in his eyes and forced the words out.

"B-bya…" he said, feeling like he had lost the ability to breathe, "where is the spirit receptor?"

Byakuya didn't answer. He looked into Renji's tear-filled eyes gently and took hold of one of his lover's hands. Silently, he lifted it and brought it to rest over his heart. A choked sob escaped the redhead before he could force it down and he pulled his hand away as though he'd been burned. He sat staring at Byakuya with the tears breaking free and running in streams down his face as the noble pulled him close and held him tightly. It seemed strange to Renji that Byakuya's body felt so calm, so quiet, so relaxed even while he was coming apart.

"So…" he went on when he could speak again, "you're telling me that you have to be cut…and…and dying?"

Byakuya loosened his arms and reached up to brush the hair away from Renji's face.

"Once the flesh is opened and my life force weakens," he explained, "the spirit receptor will awaken. It will begin to pulsate and to draw in reiatsu. That is when the reiatsu must be fired into it. It will have to be a large amount of reiatsu…ban kai strength."

Renji flinched and pulled away. He met the dark eyes warily.

"Byakuya," he said in a trembling voice, "you…you're not…going to…"

Byakuya caught Renji's face in his hands and kissed away the suggestion.

"Renji," he said, pulling back and brushing away the redhead's tears, "I would never ask you to do that."

"But you said you wanted me to honor whatever you would ask of me. What did you mean by that?"

"Renji," he breathed, wrapping his arms around his lover, "I was thinking that it would be difficult for you to be there, to know what was happening…and to let it happen as it must. You have to be strong, because you will have to be at my side, in physical contact with me when all of this happens."

"But if I'm not the one who will…will…If not me, then who?" Renji asked.

Byakuya sighed.

"I don't know," Byakuya admitted, "We can't let the form fail, because the spirit receptor would not awaken…but…I don't know how…or who. That is why we haven't acted. I just haven't been able to cope with the idea of burdening someone with this. Even though it is meant to give me back my shinigami form, there are no guarantees. So we are in a holding pattern while I work on the idea. But we do know who will fire the reiatsu and how. There is only one zanpakutou that we know of that can capture enough reiatsu and force it into a compact enough stream to infuse the spirit receptor properly. That zanpakutou is Zangetsu."


	16. Rain

**Chapter 16: Rain**

"Here, Renji," Byakuya said, handing the redhead a cup of hot green tea, "this should soothe your nerves."

"Soothe my nerves?" Renji said miserably, "I just found out that you are going to have to allow yourself to be slaughtered to regain your shinigami form, Byakuya! I doubt that tea will soothe me after that!"

Byakuya sighed.

"I know. I just don't know what else to say…what to do. We are just in a holding pattern until I figure out what to do."

Renji sipped at the tea and was surprised that it actually felt somewhat comforting to do so. He watched as Byakuya returned to the kitchen briefly and returned with a cup of tea for himself. He sat down at the table beside Renji and sipped at the tea, studying Renji silently.

"Does Ichigo know about having to fire the reiatsu into the receptor?" Renji asked after a few minutes of silence.

Byakuya shook his head.

"Kisuke and I decided that we would talk to you first and then speak to Ichigo. I needed time to reflect on what Kisuke told me. I was…not prepared…for how my emotions would turn upon hearing, so I needed time to consider my options."

Renji nodded.

"I can't imagine what that must have felt like. I wish I could have been there for you."

"You were there for me, remember?" said Byakuya, slipping an arm around him, "Renji, I might not have told you everything…but I said what I could and you steadied me so that I could face the rest. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you to turn to. Adjusting to life as a human has been difficult enough, but now to adjust to the fact that my human form has to die so that I can regain my shinigami form…"

"It scares me, Byakuya," Renji admitted, "I just can't stand to think about it."

He sighed softly and rested his head on Byakuya's shoulder.

"But you don't have to worry. Whatever you need…I'm going to help you."

Byakuya turned his head and brushed his face against Renji's hair.

"I know you will," he said quietly, "I trust you, Renji."

They sat quietly for several long minutes, listening to the waves crashing and rolling in onto the beach. Byakuya turned his head and captured Renji's lips in a slow, gentle kiss. Renji wrapped his arms around Byakuya and pushed his tongue in between the noble's parted lips. Byakuya's tongue moved slowly along the length of his, stroking it with gentle pressure. The redhead thrust his tongue in deeper and moved it warmly against Byakuya's. Renji let his hands fall to the noble's waist and released the tie on his robe. He pulled Byakuya closer, moaning at the feel of the noble's tongue as it caressed his.

Byakuya loosed the tie on Renji's robe and pushed it aside, moving forward and parting his thighs as he slid onto the redhead's lap. He rocked his hips slowly, dropping his head down to nuzzle Renji's throat. He felt Renji's body tense and pulled away to look at him.

"Renji?" he said questioningly.

Renji pressed the side of his face to Byakuya's chest, over his heart and rested it there, listening to the warm pulsing of the noble's heart. His hand found Byakuya's and he laced their fingers together. Byakuya waited silently, his eyes on his lover's.

"Are you…sure this is okay for you?" Renji asked finally.

A look of realization passed over Byakuya's features.

"Oh…Renji, I assure you. The form failure occurs on its own. It isn't affected by my exertions," he smiled, "It won't hurt me."

The redhead smiled against the warm pale skin of Byakuya's chest.

"Sorry," he said softly, "I just…wasn't sure."

Byakuya took hold of Renji's face and raised it, bringing his mouth down onto the redhead's and engaging him in a long, deep kiss. He moved his hips, causing warm friction and the pleasant feel of skin on skin. Renji moaned into his mouth and moved his own hips, increasing the friction and making Byakuya moan softly in response. Renji slid his hands down the noble's back and took hold of his hips, tightening and encouraging them to move faster. Byakuya gave another hungry moan and lifted himself away for a moment, then slowly lowered himself again onto the redhead's thickened erection. He leaned back and braced himself against the edge of the table behind him and rocked his hips, making Renji moan and thrust his hips upward.

Renji tightened his hold on the noble's slender body as Byakuya's back arched and his head rolled back. They moved faster and thrust harder against each other, deepening the contact until Renji felt himself getting breathless. He released his hold on one of Byakuya's slim hips and wrapped his hand around the noble's swollen arousal, sliding his hand up and down the long shaft and leaving Byakuya as breathless as he was.

Byakuya leaned forward and fastened his mouth on Renji's again, thrusting his tongue into the redhead's hot mouth and moaning loudly. Renji's hips thrust upward into his and Byakuya gasped and panted, trembling with pleasure. The redhead thrust upward again and the noble's body shuddered against his. Byakuya's hands tightened on Renji's muscular arms as the hot seed spilled out between them. Renji thrust deeply into the noble one last time, holding himself tightly against Byakuya as his cock pulsed again and again. Byakuya sank deeply into Renji's mouth, treating it to a rendering of slow, indulgent kisses as the two rested against each other and gradually regained their senses.

Byakuya started to pull away, but the redhead wrapped his arms warmly around him, holding him in place.

"Stay a little longer?" he requested softly.

Byakuya smiled and relaxed against Renji's shoulder.

"Of course," he whispered in response, "for as long as you want."

He rested his face against Renji's head as the redhead kissed and nipped lightly at his throat.

"I love you, Renji," Byakuya whispered into the strands of red hair, "I'm so thankful that you came to me in Inuzuri…that you stayed with me…that you love me."

"I do love you," Renji answered softly, "but I'm the one who's lucky, Byakuya. I'm so glad you kissed me…that you wanted to be with me…that you overcame the fears you had and let yourself love me."

"We're going to get to the other side of this, Renji," Byakuya promised, "I know we will. As long as we are together, we can overcome anything…anything."

Renji nodded against the noble's throat, swallowing the harsh emotion that was returning.

"I know we can," Renji agreed, "I am scared, though."

Byakuya sighed and brushed his face against the red hair.

"I am too."

Renji gently ran his fingers through the noble's silken black hair and gently rubbed his back. Byakuya sighed again and closed his eyes, listening to the pounding surf outside the beach house. He was starting to doze off when his ears picked up the patter of rain on the wooden roof and balcony. Byakuya yawned and slid off of the redhead's lap. Renji gave a small discontented sigh and released him.

Byakuya picked up their teacups and took them into the kitchen as Renji forced himself to his feet and fastened the tie at his waist. He walked down the hallway to the bathroom and was just about to turn on the shower when he heard the sound of breaking glass and a heavy thump.

"Bya!" he gasped, turning and running back to the kitchen.

Byakuya laid on his side with broken glass from the teacups on the floor next to him. Renji ran to him and dropped to the floor beside him, careful to avoid the glass.

"Byakuya," he said pleadingly, "Come on. Don't do this now! You said it wouldn't hurt you! Bya!"

He leaned forward and was relieved to see that Byakuya was still breathing. He lifted the noble and carried him to the bedroom. He set him down in the bed and climbed in next to him, resting his body against Byakuya's side and leaning over him to gently stroke his face. He heard the front door open and close.

"Renji?" called Kisuke's voice.

"In here!" Renji called back.

A moment later, Kisuke stepped into the room and sat down next to Byakuya.

"How did you know?" asked Renji, looking up at him as he quickly examined Byakuya.

"Your reiatsu fluctuation…and I heard you yell."

"How is he, Kisuke?" Renji asked nervously.

"Not so good…breathing's pretty ragged. It's definitely worse than last time…but I think he'll come around. We'll need to watch him though…just to be sure."

Renji nodded, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Kisuke looked up at Renji.

"I'm going to send Ichigo to bring Orihime," he said quietly, "She may be able to help keep him stabilized for longer between these episodes. I don't know, though. I just don't know how long we have."

Renji watched as Kisuke extended his hands over Byakuya, focusing on the area around his heart.

"He told me," Renji said softly, "He told me what has to happen…"

Kisuke nodded.

"Good," he sighed, "That will help move things forward…but we still have to tell Ichigo about his part in this. Then there's the sticky matter of how to awaken the receptor."

"Kisuke," Renji said with desperation in his voice, "how do we deal with that? How in the hell are we going to…I mean…I just can't see how we can…do that to him!"

Kisuke looked up at him.

"What are our other options, Renji? We're running out of time. His body is failing. Even with Orihime's help, we won't buy him much in the way of time. There's just no two ways about it. Someone is going to have to do it. Every time he has one of these episodes it weakens his body and it puts a strain on the receptor. If his body gives out or the receptor shuts down, it's all over."

Kisuke looked back at Byakuya and sighed.

"Renji, it may be me who has to do this. He doesn't want you to have to do it…and Ichigo has to stand ready to do the reiatsu infusion. There really isn't anyone else. It's going to require a lot of precision to be done without killing him."

"Damn!" said Renji, an edge of panic in his voice, "Kisuke, this is nuts! How can we even be thinking of going ahead with this?"

Kisuke shook his head.

"We have to because there's no other choice. Look, he seems to be stable for now. I'm going to go pull Ichigo in here for the night. It's pouring out there anyway. We'll stand guard in here tonight. We can take turns sitting with Byakuya. Remember, you need to keep your strength up for the battle with Senbonzakura."

"I haven't forgotten," Renji said grimly, "I'm taking care of myself."

"Uh-huh," said Kisuke skeptically, "So tell me, when was the last time you ate, Renji?"

Renji thought for a moment.

"It wasn't that long ago. I just…can't focus on that right now."

"Get out of here, Renji. Go eat something. When you get back, I'll go get Ichigo."

Renji nodded and left the room. He walked back to the kitchen and cleaned up the broken glass, then quickly fixed a small meal. He sat at the table, eating without interest and listening to the sound of the rain pounding down on the roof. He was just finishing when the door burst open and Ichigo stepped in, shaking the water from his hair and skin.

"Hey Renji," he said, stepping away from the door, "Where's Kisuke?"

Renji motioned toward the hallway.

"He's in with Byakuya," Renji replied, getting up from the table, "I was just about to go back there. Do you want something to eat before we go back there?"

"Maybe in a bit. I need to talk to Kisuke first."

Renji led Ichigo down the hallway.

"Byakuya collapsed again," Renji explained, "Kisuke was just sitting with him so I could go get something to eat."

He opened the door to the bedroom and the two stepped inside. Renji climbed onto the bed and sat next to Byakuya, while Ichigo took a seat in a chair next to Kisuke.

"Wet enough out there?" Kisuke asked, noting Ichigo's soaked clothing.

"Yeah," Ichigo said solemnly, "I guess."

"What's on your mind?" Kisuke asked more seriously, "You sense something?"

"Yeah," said Ichigo, "I sensed something…something not good. We have someone watching us. I sense someone with a lot of power nearby. We have company."

Kisuke nodded.

"I think it's good we're all in here, then. I'm going to send a hell butterfly to Yoruichi and ask her to bring Orihime. I was going to send you…but we need you close by in case there's trouble."

"You think there could be tonight?"

Kisuke laughed with an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

"I always think there could be trouble. I'm always prepared. That's why I'm not dead yet. I'll set a shield around the property and the house and some alert lines. That will give us warning if that powerful someone out there decides to try anything. But first, let's get this butterfly off to Yoruichi."

He summoned the small creature and whispered a message to it, then released it. Kisuke rose and walked to the door.

"You two stay close to him while I do this. Keep your weapons nearby…just in case. I'll be back."

Kisuke disappeared down the hallway, leaving the two young men alone with the unconscious captain. Renji leaned over Byakuya, studying the rise and fall of his chest.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked kindly.

"I guess he's okay now," Renji said uncertainly, "He wasn't so good earlier, but he seems more stable now."

"Good," commented Ichigo, leaning back in his chair, "Has he said anything to you about whatever he and Kisuke were talking about?"

"Some," Renji admitted, "but he wants to talk to all of us together when he's well enough. He asked me not to talk about it until he's ready."

"Yeah, I guess that's understandable," Ichigo replied, turning to look out the window, into the rain.

Renji settled down next to Byakuya, resting his head on the noble's shoulder. Byakuya remained motionless, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slept.

"I wish he'd wake up," said Renji, "It's already been a lot longer than last time."

"He'll be okay, Renji," Ichigo said reassuringly.

"Yeah," said Renji, "you say that now. We'll see if you still feel the same after he wakes up and tells you what's going to happen. I can't tell you everything, but I can tell you that it's not going to be pleasant, that's for damned sure!"

Ichigo opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Kisuke's return.

"You get everything set?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, it's all set," Kisuke affirmed, "but we have to stay on our toes. I sensed the strong reiatsu you told me about. It's someone powerful, like you thought…and he isn't alone. He brought along a couple of buddies. I don't think they'll come at us tonight, but we'll be extra careful anyway."

"Any idea who it is?" Renji asked.

"Oh I know exactly who it is…and it's not good. Unless I miss my guess, our watcher is none other than Orochi Kuchiki."


	17. Human Instinct

**Chapter 17: Human Instinct**

"Renji…" Byakuya moaned deliriously, "Where are you, Renji?"

The sound of his voice brought Renji abruptly awake. His heart pounded uncomfortably as he turned in Byakuya's arms and found him to be only semi-conscious. His hands came up and found Renji's face as the redhead leaned over him and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"I'm right here with you, Byakuya," he answered softly, uncertain whether or not his senseless lover could hear him.

Byakuya blinked several times and his eyes fixed more firmly on Renji's. He sat up slowly, but Renji could see that his body was trembling and he seemed awfully shaky. He started to get out of bed, but Renji quickly pulled him back and he swayed unsteadily before dropping back into Renji's arms. He lay quietly there, gazing up into the wide brown eyes and finding his own fears reflected in them. A soft pale hand rose and touched Renji's cheek. The redhead's eyes closed and he swallowed hard.

"Renji," Byakuya said softly, "I am sorry."

The brown eyes opened and looked at him in surprise.

"Sorry?" Renji repeated uncomprehendingly, "Byakuya…what are you apologizing for?"

He sat up next to Renji and took his hands. The dark gray eyes captured Renji's

"I'm sorry that this is hurting you so much. I can see that you're frightened for me…and I'm scared too."

He breathed a trembling sigh and settled into Renji's arms, resting his head on the redhead's soft shoulder.

"I never really feared dying as a shingami," he admitted, "and if you had asked me why, I would have told you that it was simply not something to be feared. It was my mission to protect other lives and if my own life ended because of it, it was only the price exacted for being who I was. I feared losing others to death, especially after losing Hisana, but I just didn't fear for myself. Maybe it was arrogance…or maybe it was because I had learned to accept death's constant presence near me. Whatever it was that left me fearless is gone. And it doesn't matter that I know it is necessary. It doesn't matter that I know I have a life waiting for me to return to it on the other side of this…Renji, I know I really have to be alive. I really have to be human. Because even knowing all I do, my body still shakes at the thought of what has to happen. My heart races in desperation at the thought of being stilled. In this way, I am like any other human. I can't simply shrug off my existence. I cannot just throw my life away. My mind knows what is necessary, but my heart will not accept it. It rages against what we know we have to do. It wants desperately to stay alive. Why is that? Renji, I want to regain my shinigami form. I want to go home. Why do I feel like this? There shouldn't be such conflict! Why?"

"Bya…you know why," Renji answered gently, "Even as a shinigami, I know you believed that every life has meaning…every life exists for a reason, or many reasons. You told me that once. Something inside you is telling you that there is something more to this life than what you've experienced, something you have left to do."

"Renji…there is nothing left I can do, no great purpose to live for. This body is shaky and weak. It is already dying. What purpose could it possibly serve now?"

"Shh," Renji said, lowering him back onto the pillows, "You're over-thinking all of this. You need to focus on resting and regaining some strength. If our roles were reversed, that's what you would be telling me. Close your eyes. Try to rest."

The troubled gray eyes closed and Renji felt the tension ease. He leaned over Byakuya and began at the top of his head, stroking the long silken strands of hair, then letting his fingertips trace the lines and curves of his face. And where Renji's fingers touched him, the tension faded. He made his way down the soft skin of his lover's throat, pausing to feel the soft pulse of life moving through him…then he moved on to the muscular shoulders and chest. As he made his way slowly down Byakuya's body, appreciating every line, every curve, every surface, he could see that Byakuya was nearly asleep. He returned to rest his head on his lover's shoulder and placed his lips close to Byakuya's ear.

"Your life has many purposes. You have made a difference. You had an effect on people while you were here. The nurses at the hospital…the woman at the dance club who you told me helped you. You may not think it's worth much, but it is. And you've done something else while you were here. You were my lover. And if you think that just because you will regain your shinigami form, that I'll forget all about what you were like as a human, think again. It's strange, Bya. I thought you were strong when you were a shinigami, but you've redefined the word as a human. With no powers, with your body weakening by the moment, you have kept moving forward anyway. You haven't let weakness and powerlessness defeat you. You've come this far and I know you won't stop. You have more courage than I ever could if it was me going through this. Bya…I thought I was in love with you before. But I've fallen in love with you all over again. And I think that is enough purpose…love is enough of a reason for anyone to live. You think your life should have purpose…and our love is the greatest purpose."

He realized suddenly that Byakuya's eyes were open and looking at him. His body was calm and relaxed, but a tear had broken free and was sliding slowly down his face. Renji turned and kissed it away. Byakuya sat up and brought Renji up with him. His touch on Renji's arm was steady and firm.

"Arigato, Renji," he said quietly, looking into the redhead's teary eyes with affection and gratitude. "You are right. Our love is the greatest purpose. I was wrong to forget that, wrong to despair."

He studied Renji quietly for a moment.

"Renji," he said softly, "I think that we can't let this drag on anymore. It is wearing on all of us…and my body is in danger of failing completely. I need you to find Ichigo and Kisuke. I have to explain to Ichigo how his help will be needed. And then…we should move forward with this."

Renji bit down on his lips and blinked back the tears that threatened.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a trembling voice.

Byakuya nodded.

"I am sure."

Renji rose onto leaden legs and left the room. He walked slowly down the hallway, dreading every step. Kisuke and Ichigo were sitting at the table drinking tea and listening to the rain. They looked up as Renji entered the room, looking pale and weary. Kisuke read his expression and stood.

"He wants the two of you to come to him."

Renji looked meaningfully at Kisuke.

"He is ready for things to move forward."

There was a flash of surprise, then a look of troubled acceptance in Kisuke's eyes.

"Come on, Ichigo," he said quietly, "You heard Renji."

Ichigo rose and followed the two down the hallway, feeling a growing sense of uncertainty. Something was going to happen. Kisuke was unnerved. If Kisuke was unnerved, then there was reason for Ichigo to worry. He swallowed hard and rested a hand on Zangetsu, quietly drawing strength and calm from the spirit inside.

Byakuya looked up as the three entered the room. A look of uncertainty flashed across his face, then his eyes grew calm with acceptance. He fastened his eyes on Ichigo as the young shinigami sat down in a chair next to the bed. Renji reclaimed his place on the bed beside the dark haired captain.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said quietly, "I must ask for assistance. You know that Kisuke and I have been attempting to find a way for me to regain my shinigami form. It took some time, but we believe we have found a solution."

"And you need me? Why?"

"I need you because you have the power to send me to my inner world. Kisuke has also discovered that there is a way to send you and Renji with me to that place, so that you can fight Senbonzakura on my behalf. I realize that it is a lot to ask…"

"Don't worry about that," Ichigo said firmly, "Just tell me what I have to do."

Byakuya nodded.

"There is a spirit receptor in my body that must be opened so that we can enter my inner world. To reach it, the barrier protecting it must be opened and the force around it must be allowed to weaken. When that happens, a vortex will open. When it does, it will take a compact stream of ban kai strength reiatsu to open the vortex. After that, it's a matter of me staying alive and you and Renji defeating Senbonzakura."

"Okay," said Ichigo uncertainly, "but your eyes tell me there's more to this. What haven't you told me?"

"It will be difficult for you, I think, Ichigo Kurosaki. You are one who protects lives, but what you have to realize is that this human life has to end, so that my shinigami life can be regained."

Ichigo blinked and paled.

"Byakuya…you are saying…we have to kill you?"

"You must end my human life…yes. That is what I am asking you to do. Kisuke will strike the fatal blow, then when you see the pulsation of the spirit receptor, you must use your Zangetsu to fire the reiatsu through it. That will open the path to my inner world."

Ichigo stared at him in disbelief.

"You want me to kill you?" he repeated, still not believing.

"I will already be dying. Kisuke's is the blade that will deliver the fatal blow. All you are doing is making certain that the sacrifice is worth the effort. Ichigo, you cannot save this human life. It will end, whether by Kisuke's hand or by the failure of the form itself. But my shinigami form can be saved. You are not going to kill me. You are going to keep me from dying."

Kisuke studied the young man's shocked expression and the tension in his body.

"Can you do this Ichigo?" he asked, "because once I open the way, there is no going back. If you don't fire the reiatsu through the vortex, Byakuya will die…and all we've done to try to save him will be for nothing."

"Kisuke," Byakuya said softly, "This is a difficult decision for him. Ichigo is guided by strong emotion. He needs time to absorb this."

Ichigo turned his head to look at Byakuya. He could see the uncertainty, the emotion roiling beneath the calm surface. He swallowed hard.

"No…I don't need to think about it. Byakuya…if you are dying, and this is the only way to keep that from happening…I can do it."

Byakuya's eyes met his calmly.

"Arigato, Ichigo. Then you will need to take ban kai form."

Ichigo stared in surprise.

"What…now?" he asked in a choked voice.

"There is no point in waiting," Byakuya said calmly, "My human form is failing. There is growing unsteadiness in my body. I do not have much time. And what would we use the time for? There is nothing to be gained by waiting."

Ichigo stared for a moment longer, then sighed in resignation. He stepped back and drew Zangetsu. Spirit energy swelled around him as he shifted to ban kai form, then he stood, waiting quietly at the end of the bed.

Kisuke stepped forward.

"I think this will require restraints," he told Byakuya, "Your human body has strong instincts for survival. I can't afford to have you move at the wrong time…you know what I mean?"

Byakuya looked back at him uncertainly for a moment, then nodded in acceptance.

"Renji, stay where you are. You need to be in physical contact with him when the vortex opens. Just…stay at his head and don't move. I don't want to hit you by mistake."

Renji stretched along Byakuya's side and turned his head so that their faces were close and Byakuya's was turned away from Kisuke. A shiver went through the noble, but his eyes remained calm, his expression steady.

Kisuke swiftly set the restraints and drew his zanpakuto. He stood at the side of the bed and raised the weapon, point down over Byakuya's unprotected chest. Renji held the noble's head, his body shaking at the knowledge of what was about to happen. Ichigo shifted uncomfortably. There was a moment of breathless hesitation, Then the blade fell.

There was the sudden crack of kido being shattered and the hiss of a flash step. Kisuke's weapon sank down into the suddenly empty bed.

Across the room, Renji sank to his knees, holding Byakuya's trembling form tightly against him.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed into Byakuya's shoulder, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't stop myself. I couldn't just sit there and watch him do that to you…I'm sorry, Byakuya…I'm sorry!"

Byakuya's arms wrapped around Renji and pulled him close.

"Stop apologizing," he said in a shaky voice, "You have nothing to be sorry for. I feel horrible for ever asking you to do this. Renji…maybe you should go."

"But what about Senbonzakura? You need me to…"

"No. Ichigo will defeat Senbonzakura," Byakuya assured him, "He has defeated Senbonzakura before, he can do it again."

Renji shook his head firmly.

"He barely beat the controlled form of Senbonzakura! And besides, you need someone to protect you too. I'll…I'll make myself do this. You can have Kisuke bind me so I won't react like that again. Byakuya…I'll do this. I'll find a way to make myself do it!"

"Tell you what," Kisuke said, a look of understanding in his eyes, "We'll leave you two alone for a while, so you can talk about this. I don't think you were as ready as you thought. Sounds like you still have things to say to each other."

He turned and left with Ichigo on his heels. The door closed softly behind them. Byakuya remained on their knees on the floor, still wrapped in each other's arms. Byakuya freed one hand and brushed away the redhead's tears. Pale hands took hold of Renji's face and warm, full lips captured his. Renji leaned into the kiss, more tears burning in his eyes. Byakuya's lips broke away from his and brushed against his ear.

"I love you. I am sorry I asked you to be here for this. I should have protected you from it. But I needed you. I was afraid of what was happening and I needed you to help me feel calm again. I didn't give enough thought to how difficult it would be for you. That was wrong of me. It was selfish."

Renji closed his eyes against the words.

"I was the one who was selfish. I know this is necessary. It is this or letting you die. So I'll do this, Bya. I'll do it if it kills me!"

Byakuya answered him with warm, soft kisses and gentle touches on his face and throat. Renji carefully wrapped his arms around him, lifted him and carried him back to the bed. He set Byakuya down, trying to ignore the damage Kisuke's weapon had left behind. He crawled into bed next to the noble and the two indulged in a flurry of desperate, needy kisses, before pulling away and meeting each other's eyes warily.

"Are you going to be all right now, Renji?" Byakuya asked, looking into his eyes.

Renji nodded.

"I'll be okay."

Byakuya released a shaky sigh.

"Then perhaps you should go and bring them back."

Renji opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by the sound of Tadashi's voice.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, I know you are here!" the voice called from somewhere outside, "I need you to come out. I want to talk to you."

Byakuya and Renji stared at each other.

"There's no way you're going to go out there," Renji said firmly, "Kisuke and Ichigo can handle them."

Byakuya nodded.

"It's probably best that way," he agreed.

Byakuya brushed the hair away from Renji's face and kissed him. Renji leaned forward to return the kiss, but drew back as he noticed a pained look rising in the noble's expression.

"What is it?" he asked quickly.

"I don't know!" Byakuya gasped, his chest beginning to heave, "It feels like there is a great weight on my chest…It feels like fire inside. Renji…you need to bring Kisuke…"


	18. Because I Loved You

**Chapter 18: Because I Loved You**

Renji left the room at flash step speed, calling for Kisuke. Byakuya brought himself to his knees on the bed, lowering his head against the pain that shot through him. He could hear the raised voices of the others and footsteps in the hallway. Then suddenly, the spirit energy around the beach house rose until the building shook and Byakuya was nearly incoherent with the pressure around him. He struggled for breath and moved toward the edge of the bed. Another wave of heavy spiritual pressure struck the house, shattering the windows and sending the house into darkness.

Byakuya heard the hiss of a flash step as someone came in through the window. He couldn't see who it was, but he had felt her presence so often that he didn't need to.

"Rukia!" he gasped softly, "What are you doing here? You have to get out of here!"

"I came to find you. I'm getting you out of here!"

"You don't understand. I can't leave. I have to remain here so that I can regain my shinigami form!"

"That's what I came to tell you! Captain Kurotsuchi was able to find another way to reverse the process. Yoruichi and Orihime stayed to help him finish the preparations. Byakuya…you have to come with me now!"

"Rukia," Byakuya panted, his head bowed against the pain, "I cannot return to the Seireitei like this!"

"They're at Urahara's shop. You must try to go that far."

"Renji…" Byakuya said, looking out the open door into the hallway.

"The others know. I was able to tell them. Come on!"

She leapt lightly into the windowsill, pulling him along. Byakuya bit back the pain and dragged himself along with her. A moment later, the room stood empty.

Rukia led Byakuya along the side of the building and onto the trail that led up and away from the beach. They could hear raised voices nearby and felt pulses of power that increased the pressure pushing in on Byakuya, making him stagger and lean against Rukia.

"Hang on," she said softly, "We'll be away from them soon."

They climbed with agonizing slowness up the darkened pathway, listening to the sounds of a battle in the distance. They had just reached the top of the trail when they heard a flash step and Orochi Kuchiki appeared in front of them.

"Ah, Rukia," he said, his eyes glinting, "I see you have found my cousin. Come with me."

"Man, I hope Kurotsuchi knows what he's doing!" Ichigo said, sending an attack in the direction where their unseen assailant was concealed, "I mean, the other way of getting him back was awful…but I don't know about trusting Kurotsuchi with anyone's life. That guy's crazy"

"Shut up and fight!" Renji snapped, "I don't want to think about that! This is bad enough as it is. Dwelling on it will only drive me crazy too!"

"Don't worry, Renji. Kisuke went ahead to make sure that the process works. All we have to do is provide cover so that Rukia can get Byakuya out of here."

"Yeah…then what?" Renji mused darkly.

"Hey," Ichigo grunted in surprise, "How come they stopped attacking us?"

Renji reached out with his senses.

"I don't know…but I don't like the silence. Damn! Something's wrong!"

The two dropped down off of the balcony and onto the beach. The rain pounded down on them and lightning flashed, lighting the area for a moment.

"Can you sense Byakuya or Rukia?" asked Ichigo.

Renji was silent for a moment.

"No…but I can tell that someone is using kido to interfere with my already poor ability to sense reiatsu."

"Man, that sucks! Like we aren't already reiatsu sensing challenged!" complained Ichigo.

The lightning flashed and Renji stared ahead of them.

"Ah…Ichigo…I don't think we need to worry about sensing them."

Ichigo followed his eyes. Ahead of them, Byakuya knelt in the sand with Rukia at his side, clinging to him tightly. Nia knelt next to them. The two shinigamis appeared to be held there with kido, but Byakuya had not been bound, probably, Renji surmised because Orochi wouldn't have seen him as any kind of threat in his current state. Orochi, himself, stood over the three and Tadashi stood in front of them.

"Bind them," Orochi ordered Tadashi.

Tadashi stepped toward them. Ichigo raised his sword, but froze as Orochi pointed his zanpakuto at Nia.

"Do you want to be responsible for her death?" Orochi hissed, "Or for Rukia's or Byakuya's? Allow him to bind you. Do not fight him or I will kill all of them."

"You won't get away with this!" cried Renji savagely, "Byakuya is your clan leader! You will be killed for daring to harm him!"

Orochi laughed and moved to Byakuya's side. He dragged the noble to his feet and held Byakuya against him.

"You are weak," he sneered in Byakuya's ear, "pathetic. Why they ever chose you, I don't know, because you are nothing. Look at you. Powerless, helpless, human…You sicken me, Cousin. And now you are going to die."

"You will only follow me in death," Byakuya gasped, "They will execute you for killing me."

Orochi laughed wickedly.

"Oh Cousin, I would never hurt the clan leader."

He leaned close and whispered in Byakuya's ear.

"And they won't execute me for killing your killer, Cousin. That's why Tadashi is here. He will kill you and I will kill him…his will be the execution for your death. Perfect, isn't it? There will be no way for anyone to prove I had anything to do with your death!"

"Bastard!" Byakuya hissed angrily, turning and striking the unprepared shinigami.

Orochi took hold of his hands and increased his spiritual pressure until Byakuya's legs threatened to buckle. He kicked out hard, connecting with the restrained captain's abdomen and sending him crashing down onto the sand. Byakuya remained facedown, struggling to breathe as Orochi stood over him.

"Kill him," Orochi ordered Tadashi.

The petrified shinigami stared at the fallen captain and hesitated.

"I said, kill him!" Orochi snapped, pointing his weapon at Nia, "Kill him now or she dies!"

"He'll only kill both of you anyway!" gasped Byakuya, raising himself slightly.

"Do shut up, Cousin!" Orochi said, coldly kicking him in the side.

Byakuya's body recoiled with the blow and he grunted in pain.

"Tadashi…he hurt your brother. You are only taking revenge. Go ahead, kill him. Kill him now."

"You know he didn't hurt my brother!" Tadashi said in a choked voice, "Takashi loved his captain. He would never have wanted any of this! You want Captain Kuchiki dead for your own selfish reasons. He is innocent. He doesn't deserve to die…but you do!"

Tadashi lunged forward with his zanpakuto extended in front of him, aiming for Orochi's chest. As he moved, Orochi raised his weapon and turned to meet him. As the two fighters closed on each other, neither noticed the slender form that rose up between them. Tadashi felt his blade being forced to the side and was thrown off his feet. Orochi felt his blade sink into the body that had thrown itself between Tadashi and him. There was a deep gasp of pain and the body impaled on his blade shuddered.

Orochi suddenly found himself face to face with Byakuya. He looked into his cousin's shocked eyes with an equally surprised expression at seeing his blade buried in Byakuya's chest.

"Byakuya!" screamed Renji, bursting forward.

Orochi kicked Byakuya hard in the abdomen, throwing him backwards into Renji and sending both down onto the sand. Immediately, Ichigo and Tadashi attacked, forcing Orochi away from the two. Tadashi turned back and freed Rukia and Nia. The four surrounded Orochi, attacking from all sides. The surrounded noble met the incoming attacks with blinding speed.

Below them, on the sand, Renji held Byakuya close, shocked at the heat of the blood that coursed out of his chest. Byakuya panted with pain, gripping Renji tightly and straining to catch his breath.

"Byakuya!" Renji gasped breathlessly, "Bya…"

"R-renji…" Byakuya managed, "n-no t-time. Get Ichigo…"

"Ichigo!" Renji screamed, "Ichigo, hurry!"

Ichigo turned to Tadashi, Nia and Rukia.

"The three of you have to hold him off!" he cried, "Can you do it?"

The three stared back with determined eyes.

"We'll hold him off! " Rukia said firmly, "Just help my brother! You have to save him now, Ichigo."

Ichigo flash stepped toward Renji and the dying captain.

Renji held Byakuya against him.

"Stay with me, okay?" he pleaded softly, "I can't lose you like this!"

"You won't…R-renji," Byakuya panted, "Listen to m-me…R-rukia…and the others. They n-need…you."

Renji put his hand on Byakuya's face, raising the pained gray eyes to meet his.

"I can't, Byakuya," he said, brushing the hair away from his lover's eyes, "I have to go with you and Ichigo."

Byakuya's eyes left Renji's for a moment and met Ichigo's meaningfully.

"S-set me d-down, Renji," Byakuya said softly.

Renji eased Byakuya down so that he rested on his back in the sand. He continued to hold Byakuya's hand as Ichigo brought his weapon around. He brought the tip to the dying captain's chest, staring at the red light that pulsed beneath the tip of his blade.

"Quickly now, Ichigo," Byakuya gasped, "We are out of time!"

Ichigo stared into Byakuya's eyes and raised his power until the three were lit with it. He swallowed hard and took a breath.

"Getsugatenshou!" he cried.

Light exploded from the blade, traveling down its length and heading for the receptor. As the power reached his shattered heart, Byakuya suddenly pushed Renji away.

"What the hell?" Renji gasped as he fell away from the other two, "Bya!"

"S-save…Rukia!" Byakuya gasped.

Then the blast of reiatsu reached him.

Renji watched in horror as the light from Ichigo's attack shot down into Byakuya's body, piercing the spirit receptor and loosing an explosion of red light. He tried to move forward, to take hold of Byakuya again, but the red light surrounded Byakuya and Ichigo, and forced Renji back.

"Byakuya!" the redhead cried again.

The light continued to grow and Renji watched with terrified eyes as Byakuya shuddered and went still, then disappeared into the light along with Ichigo.

"B-bya…" he sobbed, watching as the light faded and he was left alone on the rainy beach.

The sound of fighting reached through the pounding of the rain and Renji lifted his head. Tears coursed down his face and he heard Byakuya's last words in his mind.

"_S-save Rukia!"_

The words echoed in his head.

"_S-save Rukia!"_

If it was to be his lover's last request, then Renji was determined to honor it. He stared for a moment at the bloody patch in the sand, then took hold of Zabimaru and forced himself to his feet. He flash stepped through the rain, heading for the sounds of battle somewhere ahead of him. As he closed in on them, his mind shut down except for one thing, one goal, one mission.

"I have to save Rukia," he whispered, "And I will, Byakuya. I swear it!"

He spotted Orochi in the distance, lit with power and sending huge kido blasts at the three who pursued him. Blasts of kido and from zanpakutous lit the air all around them, making the darkness disappear and lighting the droplets of rain like glittering teardrops. Renji slid to a stop and raised Zabimaru as Nia crashed to the ground near him. He stopped and flash stepped to her side, but she waved him off.

"I'll be okay!" she cried, "You have to stop him! He's going to overwhelm them! He is…too powerful for us!"

Renji nodded and raised Zabimaru, trying to ignore the fact that Tadashi was falling to the ground and the noble was turning to take aim at Rukia.

"Ban kai! Hihio Zabimaru!"

A thundering screech rose up around him as the skeletal snake roared to life. He sent it soaring across the distance, on a collision course with Orochi Kuchiki. As it bore down on him, the noble turned.

"Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji cried.

The skeletal snake opened its mouth wide and loosed a huge red blast at point blank range. It blew Orochi Kuchik off his feet and sent him crashing into the surf.

Renji sent the skeletal snake towards Rukia. It grabbed her and turned back to bring her safely to Renji's side.

"Argh!" she yelled, "Idiot! You didn't have to do that!"

Renji slipped an arm around her, not even minding as she beat her hands against his chest.

"What did you do that for?" she ranted.

"Easy," he told her, "Byakuya ordered me to. So shut up. When my captain gives me an order, then I obey it. He told me to protect you and that is what I'm going to do!"

Rukia's hands stopped striking him and settled against his chest. They stood on the rainy beach, watching as Nia helped Tadashi to his feet and the two joined them.

"Do you think we got him?" Tadashi asked.

"He's down," Rukia said in a low voice, "but he hasn't been defeated yet. We have to be ready. When he attacks, he will hit us with everything he has!"

"Spread out," Renji said, stepping away from Rukia, "Weapons at the ready. As soon as you sense him, throw everything you have at him. This is going to be a very nasty fight. Don't hesitate…and don't miss!"

They waited, listening to the sound of the surf crashing against the shore and feeling the steady beat of the rain on their skin. As he watched for any sign of their enemy, Renji's mind went back to his last moments with Byakuya. He felt again the shock of betrayal as he was solidly pushed away and the words again rang in his mind.

_S-save Rukia!"_

"I will, Byakuya, I will save her," he promised, "I won't let anything happen to her."


	19. Black Getsuga

**Chapter 19: Black Getsuga**

Byakuya gasped in surprise as he was thrown roughly to the rain slicked ground in his inner world. He lifted himself up from the mud, looking down curiously and realizing that the injury that had brought him to his inner world had disappeared. He realized that he had been returned to spirit form, but that he was still without power. He studied the forest around him, looking for Ichigo. There was, he knew, no guarantee that the substitute shinigami would arrive there at all. And if he had come, then they might have landed in different areas. He climbed to his feet and studied the darkened trees around him. The branches shifted and the trees swayed in discontent. It sent a shiver of warning through the noble. He turned and started down the trail in the direction where he sensed Senbonzakura waiting. He had only gone a few steps when the limbs of the trees along the trail began to snap back and forth, moving closer. His eyes widening, he broke into a run as the limbs reached down, seeking to take hold of them.

He escaped the first of them, but as he continued down the trail, more and more limbs swished toward him, seeking to cut off his escape. Finally, one of the offending limbs managed to wrap around his wrist. He tried to pull free, but was nearly yanked off his feet, then found himself being entangled by more reaching limbs.

"Kami!" he gasped softly, kicking his feet and twisting his hands.

The limbs around his feet cracked and tore away with some effort, but as he worked his hands free, more limbs attacked, sliding around his body and beginning to squeeze. He was grateful for the rain that slicked his skin, improving his ability to slip from the limbs' tight grasp. He managed to free himself and fell to the trail, then a moment later, was on his feet and running again, only to be brought down again as he neared the edge of the forest. Limbs shot down at him from all directions at once and wrapped themselves tightly around his waist. Then as he was held in place and the first limbs tightened, more latched on to wrists and ankles, effectively immobilizing him. His body twisted and strained madly until he felt the sting of breaking skin and smelled the scent of blood. Around his body, the limbs tightened, and Byakuya felt one more slide up his body and begin to wrap around his throat.

A sudden, heavy blast sent a shock wave through the trees, and the limbs restraining Byakuya shuddered. A flash of spiritual pressure lit them for a moment, then Byakuya felt them release and he was dropped onto the trail. Hands took hold of him, pulling him to his feet and forcing him into a run.

"Ichigo…"

"Run!"

They ran side-by-side as more of the limbs attacked, dodging the ones that swept down from above them and swerving to avoid the ones that trailed along the ground. The edge of the forest appeared ahead of them…then Byakuya was taken down again. He heard Ichigo turn and felt the rise of spiritual pressure as the young shinigami slashed at the limbs that tightened around him.

"Fight!" yelled Ichigo, "Forget power, tear them apart with your teeth if you have to, but fight or we're both done for!"

Something in Ichigo's words fed into Byakuya's heart, and he found himself straining and twisting furiously again until between Ichigo's sword slashes and his own struggles, he broke free and gained his feet again. Ichigo's hand wrapped around his wrist and he was dragged free of the forest. The two fell onto a grass-covered hill and lay panting and catching their breath as the rain poured down on them, soaking everything around them and washing the blood from their skin.

A quick assessment of his body told Byakuya that except for the bruises and abrasions from the scratching of the limbs on his skin, he was fine. Beside him, Ichigo ran a hand over his face to brush away the moisture. The rain was softening around them. They caught their breath slowly, then Ichigo's eyes met his appraisingly.

"Are you all right now?" he asked.

Byakuya nodded.

I have regained my spirit form, but my powers will not be restored, nor my inner world stabilized until I face Senbonzakura. I sense him ahead of us."

Ichigo nodded, then turned to look into the distance.

"Tell me something," Ichigo said in a low voice, "Tell me why you pushed Renji away like that. You love him, don't you? So why?"

Byakuya hesitated, looking into the young man's half-angry glare.

"Why does that matter?" Byakuya asked, stretching his limbs, then brushing the hair away from his face.

"It matters because you just denied us half our fighting power…or were you worried that he wasn't strong enough to protect himself, let alone you."

Now Byakuya was glaring.

"Renji is quite capable of protecting himself…and anyone who means something to him!" he said, his eyes sparking, "Renji is a very strong fighter. That is why he is my vice captain, Ichigo Kurosaki!"

"Then why? Why did you leave him behind like that? You know he wanted to fight for you! He wanted to protect you! What's the matter? You have too much damned pride to let someone defend you? Do I need to remind you that you can't even protect yourself right now? You just lessened your own chances of survival. I just wondered what would make you do that."

Byakuya frowned up at him.

"So you think it is a matter of pride, Ichigo? Think again. I didn't leave Renji because of any doubts about ability or because of matters of pride. I left Renji for two reasons. I left him first because I know Orochi to be too powerful for Rukia and the others to control. He is a seasoned fighter and he is a snake. It will take someone with Renji's strength and experience to stop him. Secondly, I…if this…return process turned out not to work…or if, for some reason we fell short in our attempt…"

He paused, looking away into the distance.

"I did not want him to die with me. I wanted to know he would survive."

Ichigo considered his words for a moment and slowly nodded.

"I guess that's understandable," he said finally.

He reached down to rub a sore muscle and furrowed his brow thoughtfully.

"And yet you had no problem dragging me along with you," Ichigo observed, "Is that because you think I can do this on my own or is it just that you don't give a shit if I die defending you?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think you really want an answer to that…Ichigo," Byakuya replied smoothly.

Ichigo laughed softly and climbed to his feet.

"Come on, Byakuya. The sooner we find Senbonzakura, the sooner we both can go home."

Byakuya rose and walked alongside Ichigo, down the hillside and across the expanse of open meadow. Gradually, the ground became rocky and the trail roughened. They smelled the rising scent of sakura around them as the trees came into sight. They soon found themselves nearing a large ravine.

"You know where we're going?" Ichigo asked softly.

Byakuya nodded.

"On the other side of the bridge…Senbonzakura awaits us," Byakuya explained, "I will attempt to talk to him first, but he is not likely to listen. Still, I feel I must make the attempt."

"Okay," Ichigo agreed, resting his hand on his weapon.

They stepped onto the bridge and quickly crossed. As they reached the far side and stepped off of the bridge, it loosened and dropped away. Ichigo swallowed hard.

"Guess there's no going back now," he muttered.

Byakuya's eyes were focused on the area just ahead of them, where a tall masked warrior stood waiting for them. The other did not move as they approached. He only studied them with a stern eye, then blinked slowly.

"Senbonzakura," Byakuya said calmly, "I have returned to you."

The warrior eyed him skeptically.

"You look like him," he said, "but I sense no power in you. You cannot be my master."

"I was attacked. I was made over into a human. But I have been returned to spirit form and now stand ready to return to my rightful place."

"Rightful place?" said the spirit archly, "There is no such thing. And if you are truly my master, then you will be able to stand against me."

"As I said," Byakuya repeated calmly, "I was attacked and made over into a human. I had no shinigami powers…and my spirit centers are only now forming again."

"I understand," the warrior said, standing and placing his hand on his weapon, "but until you defeat me, you are not my master. And if you are no longer my master, then I have no master, no spirit to bond with. My life becomes worthless. So you see, I have no choice but to challenge you."

The warrior's sword slipped free of its sheath.

"The one with you is strong. I have tasted his blood before. He defeated me…but I was held back. I will not be held back now. I will kill him…and if you are too weak to defend yourself, I will kill you."

Ichigo drew his weapon and took a fighting stance.

"Come at me whenever you're ready," he urged the warrior, "I don't mind giving you another thrashing!"

There was the swish of a flash step and Ichigo heard Byakuya gasp in pain. He turned in surprise as the noble took a sharp slash to his side. Ichigo flash stepped in between them, glaring at the masked warrior.

"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, is it?" Ichigo muttered in disgust, "What's the matter? Are you afraid to take me on directly? You want to bring down an unarmed man and end it for all three of us?"

Senbonzakura only glared at him in response.

The air around them began to glow pink.

"Come on then!" Ichigo yelled, "Let's see what you've got! Do you really have the power to defeat me, or do you use cheap tricks because you know I'm stronger than you!"

"Insolent human!" hissed Senbonzakura, his power rising until he glowed pink with it, "I will show you my power. I will use it to kill you both!"

"Man," Ichigo complained to Byakuya, "That guy's more puffed up and annoying than you!"

"Do you plan to cease insulting me and fight at some point?" Byakuya asked dryly, "or are you just going to allow him to cut me to ribbons while you argue!"

"Damn! You're both annoying!" exclaimed Ichigo, rising into the air.

Byakuya inhaled sharply and threw himself to the ground as Senbonzakura flash stepped and brought his weapon down at the noble again. It had nearly reached him when it connected with Zangatesu and slid away. The shinigami and the warrior began a blinding mass of flash steps and strikes. Byakuya watched warily as the two connected, broke free, flash stepped and connected again. He felt the spirit's eye fall on him and sensed what he was about to do.

"Ichigo!" he cried, he's going to release his shikai!"

Zangetsu glowed with power as Senbonzakura's blade dissolved into a mass of pink petal blades. They flew toward Ichigo and, Byakuya realized…him. He dove for cover behind some nearby rocks, but felt the sting on his skin that told him the attack had reached him.

"Damn!" Ichigo yelled, flash stepping back to him, "I didn't know he could attack us both like that, using only shikai!"

"He's uncontrolled, Ichigo!"

"Yeah, well I can let loose too!" Ichigo yelled, flash stepping away, "Ban kai!"

The spirit energy exploded around him, blinding Byakuya for a moment as Ichigo took on his ban kai form. He had lost track of Senbonzakura. His heart pounding, he surveyed the area quickly. He barely saw the flash of petals before they slammed into him, throwing him down and tearing at him from all directions. Byakuya felt the fire of blades on his skin and rolled to his feet. Senbonzakura stood a few feet away and was already firing another blast of petals. There was no time to dodge them, but the noble dove to the ground again anyway and waited for the impact. He felt the press of spirit energy as Ichigo flash stepped to him and fended off the attack.

"Are you all right?" he cried.

"I'm okay…just…fight!" Byakuya panted.

Another blast of petals struck, sending Ichigo tumbling aside and leaving Byakuya vulnerable again. Senbonzakura sent a blast of petal blades that swept over him as he threw himself toward Ichigo. He was thrown down again and pelted with blades. The blood ran freely down his body now and Byakuya felt his strength waning.

"Ichigo!" he gasped.

The young shinigami rose into the air and fired a heavy blast that sent Senbonzakura tumbling away. He grabbed Byakuya by the waist and dragged him to his feet. As Senbonzakura rose up again, he attacked immediately, sending the spirit down in a cloud of dust. There was a sudden silence as the dust cleared. Then a soft voice broke the stillness.

"Ban kai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Petals exploded all around them. Ichigo threw himself onto Byakuya, releasing a shield of protective reiatsu around them. They absorbed much of the attack, but more than a few petal blades broke through and tore at them. Byakuya pushed himself to his knees, gasping and coughing, his body streaming with blood.

"You can't take much more of this!" Ichigo cried, "I've got to put an end to this now!"

Another blast of petals closed on them and Ichigo wrapped his body protectively around Byakuya's, at the same time releasing a wave of spirit energy. When he rose again, Byakuya remained on the ground, his eyes glazed with pain and his chest heaving.

Byakuya felt a sudden rise of power and watched as the young shinigami's eyes turned golden and a mask formed over his face. He felt a chill pass through him.

"Ichigo…" he gasped as the hollowfied shinigami left him and rose into the air.

He watched as the two clashed in the air, both glowing with power and slashing wildly. The spirit energy exploded around them and shook the ground beneath him. He heard the cackle of the hollow's laughter and the hissing of flash steps. Then something took hold of him and dragged him to his feet and a sword was brought to his throat.

"Senbonzakura!" Byakuya gasped.

"I have won," the masked warrior said coldly, pressing the blade to the noble's throat, "If he dies, everything collapses!"

The hollow released a furious peal of laughter.

"You can't destroy me. I will live. And I don't care if you do kill him! In fact, maybe I'll do it for you!"

There was a moment of stunned hesitation as Senbonzakura watched the hollowfied shinigami close in on him. Byakuya slipped from his grasp and rolled free as the attack connected and a huge wave of black getsuga pounded everything. Byakuya was driven hard into the ground and left writhing in pain in the mud. He lifted his head and stared dizzily upward. The masked warrior stood with his back to Byakuya, framed in the dark blast that approached him. He held against it for one more long moment, then was swept away.

The rain poured down in sheets, drenching Byakuya as he laid panting on the ground. He heard Ichigo approaching and looked up warily.

He was still in hollow form.

The hollowfied shinigami stalked closer, his weapon ready.

"It's you again," the evil voice hissed, "I remember you…though not so weak and helpless. Insulting! I almost don't want to lower myself to slaughtering you…but you tried to kill me! Go ahead and save yourself…if you can!"

He slashed at Byakuya, cutting into his arm as the noble forced himself to his feet and backed away.

"Ichigo…" he panted, "The fight is over…stop…"

The hollow stepped closer, slashing again. Byakuya gasped and fell, then rolled away as the hollow slashed at him again.

"Kami, Ichigo! Get control of yourself!" he cried, "You're going to kill us both!"

"Really…" the hollow snarled, closing in and cornering the noble, "You must think I am really stupid. Your world can crumble and disappear…but I won't fall with it. Now die!"

Zangetsu rose high into the air and slashed downward.

"Ichigo!"

Something was forming in Byakuya's hand and he felt the searing pain of power erupting through his newly formed power centers. There was a clang of metal on metal. Then Byakuya was looking up past the sword he now held and into the hollow's eyes without fear. Power exploded around them, shattering the hollow's mask and sending him to his knees. Byakuya stared as Ichigo sat panting and regaining his breath.

"Idiot!" Byakuya snapped angrily, "You do realize that you almost killed us both!"

"Hah!" Ichigo huffed, "You got your powers back before I killed you…so shut up!"

The rain was easing and the sky was fading around them.

"Ichigo," Byakuya said as they began the crossing over, "Arigatou."


	20. Serpents

**Chapter 20: Serpents**

Renji felt the buildup of reiatsu and turned to Rukia, Tadashi and Nia.

"Here it comes!" he shouted, "Brace yourselves!"

'It,' as it turned out was a huge black wave that rose up and rolled toward the shore. And within the waves, huge snakelike tendrils shot out and struck at them as the wave closed in.

"Kami, get up higher!" Renji called, "Ban kai, Hihio Zabimaru!"

The skeletal snake burst forth sweeping along the shore then wrapping around Renji and Rukia as the wave bore down on them. Tadashi and Nia rose into the air and sent kido blasts at the huge creature that was surging in on the black wave.

The water slammed into the shore, pounding the skeletal snake furiously. The sea creature's tendrils quaked and danced as flashes of reiatsu crashed down on them. The water swelled around the skeletal snake, then receded, leaving the sea creature and the skeletal snake face to face on the shore. The snake spun toward the other creature shrieking loud enough to shake the ground and sending pulses of heavy spiritual pressure in all directions.

"Hikotsu Taiho!"

Red fire blasted out of the mouth of the great snake and engulfed the sea serpent, lighting the huge creature's vast silhouette. The creature reared back, shrieking madly and drawing back its limbs, then striking at the snake over and over until the bony segments began to crack under the weight of the blows. Renji send the skeletal snake up into the air. As it rose away from them, the sea creature's limbs shot forward, seeking to wrap around them and crush the life out of them. The rush of green limbs suddenly disappeared into a sea of whiteness as Rukia's attack blasted the creature, freezing it in a column of ice. The ice column groaned and shattered. The sea creature was thrown to the ground and pelted with sharp icicles. When the frosty mist cleared, the creature was on the ground with the skeletal snake driving down from above. Fiery white reiatsu exploded around the two as they collided and exploded into a shower of sparks and dust.

"Get out of there!" Tadashi yelled down at Renji and Rukia.

Renji wrapped his arms around Rukia and rose into the air, following the path the others had taken onto the cliffs that jutted over the beach. Orochi reappeared on the beach and sent a blast of white fire at them, collapsing the ledge under their feet and sending them flying back into the air and father back onto the cliffs.

"You gutter rats can never match my power! So scatter and run or you will die!"

Renji recalled Zabimaru and re-gathered his power as Tadashi and Nia pounded Orochi with kido blasts and Rukia fired a volley of ice from her seething zanpakutou. Zabimaru exploded out of his raised weapon again and soared toward the enraged noble. Orochi fired a huge blast of kido that sent the snake off course. Renji hauled on the handle of his weapon and turned it to attack again. He flew down off of the cliff, following the skeletal snake with slashes of his sword and intermittently fired blasts of kido.

Orochi stared into the furious face of the enraged shinigami, surprised at the terrible strength of his attack.

"You dare to attack me, mongrel?" he snarled, "You are going to die!"

"Think again!" Renji yelled, "Hikotsu Taiho!"

The skeletal snake was nearly on top of the noble as it released its huge red blast. Orochi flash stepped and reappeared a short distance away, sending a blaze of kido flying toward the redhead. Remembering the blocking move Byakuya had taught him, Renji captured the incoming spirit energy and channeled it around his body, sending back in the direction of the noble and very nearly taking him off his feet. He shot forward, slashing and blocking and slashing again, forcing the noble back until a final hard thrust sent him to the sand, tumbling, rolling and coming to his knees as Renji's weapon came down.

To the redhead's surprise, the blow never landed. Instead, Zabimaru crashed down onto a lovely slender blade that brought tears to his eyes when he saw it. Orochi froze on his knees, looking up in disbelief at the man who stood, blocking the weapon that had been about to kill him.

"Byakuya!" Renji gasped in a strangled, passionate cry.

Byakuya let a smile reach the corner of his lips, then turned and regarded his kneeling cousin with cold, deadly eyes.

"Cousin?" Orochi stammered in surprise, waiting for Byakuya to turn and to deprive him of his life.

"You should have let me kill him," Renji said with disgust in his voice, "You know this bastard deserves it for what he did to you."

He took a step toward the still-kneeling noble.

"You fucking set him up to be raped by that slobbering maniac! You tried to force Tadashi to kill him and when that didn't work, you drove your blade through his fucking heart! You don't deserve to still be breathing, you scheming, arrogant, son of a bitch!"

"You cannot kill him," Byakuya said, very calmly, "because the clan would only seek your death for it. Whatever he has done, the clan elders must be the ones to judge his guilt or innocence. Renji…I cannot thank you enough for fighting to defend my honor, to defend my life. But I must ask you to stand down. I assure you that I will give the council a full report on what happened. They will know my cousin's part in this."

He turned to his cousin, glaring down at him icily as the others gathered and settled onto the sand behind him.

"Orochi," Byakuya said in a deadly voice, "It is best that you leave immediately. For if you do not, one of my friends may not be able to control his actions. Nor would I blame him for killing you after what you have done. Go and prepare to meet the council to explain your actions. And pray you have a reasonable explanation or our clan may find itself ordering its first execution."

With a nasty scowl, Orochi regained his feet and flash stepped away. There was a moment of silence, then Byakuya found himself on the receiving end of two extremely enthusiastic pairs of arms that took hold of him from either side.

"Brother!" cried Rukia happily, holding onto him tightly.

"Byakuya!" cried Renji, wrapping his arms around the startled noble and burying his face in the black, silken hair.

Byakuya hesitated for a moment, staring in amusement at their enthusiastic display, before gently squeezing Rukia's hand and rubbing his face affectionately against the top of his lover's head.

"Kami, it's good to see you, Byakuya!" Renji sighed, wiping happy tears from his eyes, "I didn't know if I would ever see you again!"

"Then you forgive me for pushing you away?" Byakuya asked, his eyes betraying more than a little bit of guilt.

"Hell, no!" exclaimed Renji, "But I can wait until we get home again before I make you pay for that!"

Rukia released Byakuya and approached Ichigo, who stood quietly near Tadashi and Nia, watching Byakuya and Renji with a smile on his face. He was startled when the young woman threw her arms around him and kissed him warmly on the cheek.

"Thank you, Ichigo!" she exclaimed, "Thanks to you, I have my brother back!"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

"Well, he was extremely helpful, so I am thankful…despite the fact that his hollow form nearly slaughtered me…"

"Aww, you're not going to hold that against me, are you?" grinned the young shinigami, "I may have come close, but hey…you're still alive!"

Renji reluctantly let go of Byakuya and approached Ichigo with deep gratitude in his eyes.

"Ichigo," he said, taking the substitute shinigami's hand, "thank you for making sure I didn't lose him. You've really proven to be a good friend…and I don't know how to thank you…"

Ichigo patted him on the back affectionately.

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling, "You would have done the same for me, you know."

Renji met his eyes squarely.

"Yeah…I would. I'm glad you know that."

Renji turned back to face Byakuya, his eyes bright.

"So, Captain, are you ready to go home?" he asked.

Byakuya's lips curved into a small smile.

"Not just yet, Renji."

He turned to Tadashi and Nia, who stood nearby, looking at him uncertainly.

"Captain Kuchiki," Nia asked softly, "What will happen to Tadashi?"

Tadashi turned to his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Nia…I broke quite a few laws," he said quietly, "I lured Captain Kuchiki to the twelfth division and I was the one who transformed him. I also attacked and nearly killed him. You must understand that these are capital crimes and I will most likely be executed."

He stepped toward Byakuya and held his sheathed zanpakutou out in front of him. Byakuya stared at the weapon for a long moment, sighing softly.

"Tadashi," he said, meeting the shinigami's eyes with sympathy, "You did commit serious crimes. However, you were misled into thinking I had dishonored your brother. You had no way of knowing that the charges were false. My own head captain had to suspend me while it was investigated. Why would I expect that you would know any better than him? In any case, I will approach the Kuchiki Elders and tell them how you protected me in the end…when you learned that I was not guilty. I shall convince them to treat your crimes as a clan matter and we will settle with them privately."

"You can do that?" Nia asked, wide-eyed.

"There are rules that give precedent for reducing Tadashi's sentence."

He paused for a moment, thinking.

"There is one thing more," he said, studying the two, "If the two of you are…displeased…with your assignment, I would like to offer you a place in the Sixth Division."

"B-but…Captain…why?" asked Tadashi, "After what I did…"

"You were defending your brother's honor," Byakuya said softly, "and I would honor his sacrifice by attempting to offer my assistance to those he loved."

"But…how could you ever trust me?"

Byakuya looked into Tadashi's eyes.

"I would have to believe that this experience would lead you to think more carefully before taking rash action. Even though your heart was in the right place, what you did was wrong."

"Sir," said Tadashi penitently, "I will do anything I can to atone."

Byakuya nodded.

"Once you are transferred to my squad, we will deal with that. But for now…go home. Comfort each other. You have been through a difficult time."

Tadashi and Nia bowed their heads and nodded, then walked slowly away.

"Okay," said Renji, "Are you ready to go home now?"

Byakuya shook his head softly.

"I have a couple of things I need to do first."

He smiled at Renji warmly.

"Will you come with me?"

"Uh…yeah, sure, Captain. Whatever you want…"

He turned and followed Byakuya away in a flash step.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Did you check on the patient in 312?" the head nurse asked her assistant.

"Yes…and the one in 302," the other answered.

The nurses at the station went suddenly silent as a very handsome and familiar looking man stepped up to the station, carrying a handful of lovely red roses.

"Mr. Kuchiki?" queried the head nurse, "What a surprise! We were worried when you left the way you did! How are you? You look…much better now!" she exclaimed, running her eyes over his slender form.

Byakuya handed a rose to each of the nurses.

"I am completely recovered," he told them as Renji looked on, "I wanted to come back and thank you for caring for me during my illness."

"Oh!" the head nurse sighed, blushing furiously, "Thank you, Mr. Kuchiki, but we were just doing our jobs…"

"Even so," he said, smiling, "I do appreciate your assistance. I have spoken to the chief of staff about the exemplary care I received while I was here."

The head nurse lowered her eyes.

"I don't know what to say…except thank you, Mr. Kuchiki. We are really glad to see that you are well again!"

They took their leave of the nurses and Byakuya turned toward the downtown club area.

"Where are we going now?" Renji asked curiously.

"One more errand," Byakuya said, flash stepping ahead.

Renji shook his head and followed his captain, muttering to himself. They reached the club area and slowed as they stepped onto the crowded street.

"Isn't this where…"

"Yes," Byakuya said, studying the nearby clubs and starting toward one of them.

"Why'd you want to come back here?" he asked, mystified.

"There is someone I need to thank…for assisting me in escaping Shuji."

Renji shook his head affirmatively.

"Okay…anyone who did something like that has my gratitude, too, Byakuya."

They walked into the club side-by-side and Byakuya's eyes briefly scanned the crowd on the dance floor. Across the room, a woman in a green dress with a long, beaded shawl looked over at Byakuya and smiled widely. Byakuya and Renji waded through the crowd of dancers until they stood in front of her.

"Well, stranger," she said, smiling, "It's good to see you escaped Creepy. What brings you back this way?"

Byakuya smiled.

"I wanted to thank you."

He motioned to Renji.

"I didn't have time to introduce myself before."

"I won't hold it against you!" the woman laughed warmly.

"I am Byakuya and this is my very close friend, Renji. It was Renji who I was trying to reach that night, and thanks to your help, we have found our way back to each other. I came back with Renji so that we could thank you."

She looked at the two appraisingly and nodded.

"You look very happy together," she said, smiling, "How about you two give me a nice slow dance and we'll call it even, okay?"

Renji chuckled softly.

"I think that's fair…right, friend?"

Byakuya bowed his head slightly in acquiescence.

A few moments later the lights in the club dimmed softly. The three joined hands and slowly moved out onto the dance floor.


	21. The Way Home

**Chapter 21: The Way Home**

"You know, Byakuya," Renji said as the senkaimon opened, "I really enjoyed slow dancing with you."

"Did you?" Byakuya asked quietly, "Well then, I wouldn't be opposed to indulging you on occasion…because I found it pleasant also."

Renji paused by the senkaimon and noticed the noble's contemplative expression as he looked back over Karakura Town. He walked back to Byakuya and slipped a warm arm around him.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, following the noble's gaze, "I'd think you'd be anxious to get out of here and get back to where you belong."

It was just before dawn and traces of the sun began to shine on the horizon. Byakuya watched it appear in the distance, sliding a hand into Renji's and squeezing it affectionately.

"But you misunderstand, Renji. Because for the time I was alive, I did belong here. I came here with nothing but the body I inhabited and I built an existence on that. And in a surprisingly short time, I had an impact on my world and the people in it. It was a short life, but it was…surprisingly full."

"Yeah." Renji agreed, nodding, "When we were visiting the hospital and the dance club, I noticed how even people who only met you once…you really resonated with them. And I think I know why, Byakuya."

The noble turned to look at him, enjoying the way the rising light played over his face.

"You know, you're really beautiful as a shinigami, when you are all lit up with your power…but the times you've been most beautiful to me are the times when you had no power at all…but you still managed to be strong anyway. In Inuzuri…and here in the living world…There's just this inner strength that seems to be there no matter how bad things get."

"That's strange, because I didn't feel strong at all. I couldn't control anything, Renji. My thoughts tumbled out before I could contain them. I acted on my fears and passions without thinking or even being able to control them. How is that strength?"

"Byakuya…at home, as a shinigami, you've made it a point to hide everything. A guy has to be pretty sharp to realize that there's more to you than meets the eye. But being human made you show everyone around you what you're really like inside. I know it was frustrating for you, but that's why everyone you met as a human was really impacted by you…why they liked you immediately. What they were seeing is what I see every time I look at you, at full power or powerless, human or shinigami…you're damned beautiful Byakuya!"

"Well as flattered as I am that you find me physically attractive, Renji, I hardly think…"

"That's not what I meant," Renji said, shaking his head, "You just don't get it, do you?"

He rested a hand over the noble's heart, smiling at his look of confusion.

"It isn't what you look like on the outside. Hell, even when I hated you, I noticed that. It wasn't until I realized what was in here that I fell in love with you, Byakuya. Your heart is what really makes you beautiful. As a human, you let other people see that…maybe not on purpose, but it happened. And it made you irresistible."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"Irresistible, hmm? Does this mean that now that my powers have returned and I've regained control of my emotions that you will be able to resist?"

"Hell no!" Renji laughed, pulling him into a kiss, "I lost the ability to resist you a long time ago!"

Renji felt something underneath Byakuya's shihakushou press against him. Frowning thoughtfully, he reached into the noble's pocket and withdrew a handful of seashells. He smiled up at Byakuya.

"You know, Byakuya," he said softly, "I think it wasn't just that you had an impact on the world while you were there…I think the living world had an impact on you."

Byakuya smiled and took the seashells from Renji's hand. He ran a finger over the rough and smooth surfaces, admiring the variances of texture and color, then slipped them back into his pocket. He turned toward the senkaimon but remained standing in front of it for a moment with his back to Karakura Town.

"I had a life here and it made differences…it had meaning. That life ended, but even my death had meaning. I gave back something of what Takashi gave me when he died. I protected his brother…because if I had not stopped Orochi's blade, it would have killed Tadashi…and Nia would be mourning the loss of both of her brothers. It was a very different thing than what we attempted to do before that. I'm actually glad you stopped Kisuke when you did. You allowed me to make my death more honorable, and I cannot thank you enough for that. But it's time now to leave this behind us. It's time to go home."

He started toward the senkaimon, but Renji stopped him with a touch of his hand.

"Just one more thing before we go. Byakuya…what will you miss most about being human?"

Byakuya looked back over his shoulder and smiled.

"I rather enjoyed the feeling of safety I got knowing that you were protecting me. You were a very capable protector, Renji."

"Wha…Byakuya, I am still capable of protecting you! Just because…"

"It was different there, Renji. It was different knowing that everything was in your hands. I couldn't protect myself at all. And you were there for me. I liked depending on your strength…because that is one of the things I love the most about you."

He took hold of Renji's hand and stepped into the senkaimon. The two passed through together and the doors closed behind them, leaving the park in the warm shine of morning.

A few moments after the doors closed, a large, dark figure removed itself from a nearby bush. A bony hand stretched out and created a rip in the blue of the sky. It passed through into Hueco Mundo and headed toward a dark cave. As it passed through, something fell from its pocket and fluttered to the ground. It landed face up on the grass, leaving the snapshot of Byakuya turned toward the bright morning sun.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Lord Byakuya," Councilor Nori said respectfully, "Council accepts your request to allow you to personally oversee the resolution of the situation surrounding your abduction and transformation. Although we question your allowing the two involved to escape with virtually no punishment, we recognize your right to make that decision without deference to our perhaps wiser recommendations. However…we must also address the behavior of Councilor Orochi. You contend that Councilor Orochi contracted with someone he knew to be dangerously obsessed with you and gave that person access to you, wanting him to abduct and/or assault you, perhaps kill you. You also claim that when Shuji failed in his mission, Orochi then killed him and the newspaper administrator, then used threats to force Tadashi to attack you…that situation resulting in your being fatally stabbed and your human form being killed. You contend that he then attacked those attempting to protect you. Is this correct?"

"It is," Byakuya said quietly.

"Councilor Orochi has denied any knowledge of Shuji's tendencies and denies that he sought to use Shuji to attack or harm you. Council has looked into the deaths of Shuji and the administrator and has found that Shuji was not murdered, but committed suicide…and that the administrator died of natural causes. As to the matter of Tadashi, the fact of the matter is that you have admitted that he transformed you and nearly killed you without any interference from Orochi. Therefore, we find it difficult to believe he was forced in any way to attack you later. Orochi has said also that you were only stabbed because you sought to keep him from killing Tadashi when Tadashi planned to kill you. He said that your sudden move caused your being fatally wounded. And finally, the fight on the beach was merely the result of confusion over all of the uproar. It seems emotions were high upon your death and things simply got out of control. Council refuses to hold Orochi responsible for any of your claims…but we accept your request to hold Renji, Rukia, Tadashi and Nia harmless. Council will pursue no action against them."

He looked warily into Byakuya's flaring eyes.

"I am sorry if some parts of our decision displease you, but we were only able to act on the information at hand."

Byakuya gave him a scathing look, but nodded in acceptance.

"Now, that being resolved, Council moves to dismiss…Lord Byakuya?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Council will adjourn," said Nori.

Byakuya caught Orochi glaring at him with a look of triumph in his eyes. The clan leader held his gaze with equal iciness for a long moment before turning and sweeping out of the room.

Byakuya flash stepped angrily toward the Squad Six Headquarters, wearing a deep frown. Although he was grateful that no harm would come to Tadashi and Nia, Rukia and Renji, he was dissatisfied at his snaky cousin slinking his way out of any responsibility. But it was typical of Orochi to weasel his way out of responsibility for his actions and for the council to protect its own…even when their own must have been involved in some kind of wrongdoing. He sighed and shook his head in frustration, deciding for the hundredth time that sometimes he really despised his family.

He reached the headquarters and went inside. A waiting hell butterfly informed him that Renji was in with a training group. Curious, Byakuya slipped down the hallway and looked through the doors into the training room. Loud music thundered all through the room and the shinigami were arranged in perfect lines and moving in unison with the beat of the music. Looking closer, Byakuya realized that every scripted move they made was related to moves they would make when training later with their zanpakutous. Although unsettled by the loud music, he also noticed that it kept the group moving together and increased their awareness of those in close proximity to them. In a way, it mimicked the way that, in battle, they must maintain awareness of their surroundings and their position in relation to their enemies. Despite his aversion to the commotion, it really seemed as though Renji knew what he was doing. Add to that the fact that since Renji had taken over training, both physical fitness ratings and fitness for battle had improved greatly in the squad. So what if it looked like he was conducting an aerobics class? It obtained results. And it also wasn't lost on Byakuya how attractive Renji was in the more casual workout clothes. He watched a moment longer, enjoying the way Renji was smiling and moving, then turned and made his way back to the main office.

He was hard at work when Renji returned, freshly showered and dressed in his shihakushou. The redhead started toward his desk, but stopped when he realized that Byakuya was looking at him…rather heatedly. He grinned at Byakuya's hungry expression.

"Did you like what you saw?" he asked, taking slow steps in the noble's direction.

Byakuya blinked. He hadn't been aware Renji had seen him.

"It was an interesting approach to training," he acknowledged, "Noisy, but effective. Grating, but I cannot argue with the results."

Renji laughed.

"Maybe it's unconventional, but I modeled it based on martial arts and aerobics classes I saw in the living world. I realized how it worked physically and mentally to prepare for fighting."

"Well…as I said, the results favor your impression, Renji. So I won't question it."

"You are welcome to join us sometimes, Captain," he said, smiling widely, "I think you would look great in the workout clothes!"

Byakuya barely suppressed a smile.

"Not in this lifetime, Renji," he said calmly, "However, I would not be averse to seeing you dressed that way from time to time."

Renji did a doubletake.

"Byakuya…did you just say I look sexy in my workout clothes?"

"Did I?" Byakuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," said Renji, leaning over to kiss him, "You did!"

"Renji," Byakuya said, pulling away and looking a bit flustered, "I told you that it's not a good idea to be…affectionate in my office. Didn't you learn from what just happened?"

Renji nodded, but looked at his captain without remorse.

"Can we be 'affectionate' in your quarters then?" he asked.

He laughed, noticing the light blush on his captain's face.

"It is during work hours."

"We need a break, right?" Renji said, taking hold of his hand and pulling him to his feet, "Byakuya, we just got back from the living world a few hours ago and because of that damned council meeting and returning to work, we haven't gotten to be alone together for even a minute. Come on…you at least have to tell me how the meeting went!"

Byakuya followed Renji into the captain's quarters, closing and locking the door behind him. He started to turn, but found himself pushed back against the door with an attractively firm and nicely scented body holding him against the door and a seething mouth fastened on his. He tried to object, but found that opening his mouth only ended with him having a hot tongue forced into it. He captured the invading appendage and sucked at it, stroking it heatedly with his own. He didn't know quite how it happened, but he found that while he had been distracted, Renji had removed their clothes. He lifted the noble off his feet and carried him to his bed. He set Byakuya down, then stood for a moment, gazing at his body appreciatively. Byakuya gazed back, smiling now.

"So…" he said calmly, "Did you want to hear about the council meeting?"

Renji narrowed his eyes and dropped onto the bed, trapping Byakuya beneath him. He attacked the noble's mouth and throat hungrily.

"Fuck the council," he mumbled between kisses, "I don't want to talk about them."

"I can see that," commented Byakuya, meeting him kiss for kiss, "but isn't that why we came in here? That's what you said, isn't it?"

"I don't remember," Renji moaned, locking his hips against Byakuya's and rubbing their thickening members together, "Look, can we just forget all of that for like, a minute here? I just want to be with my lover."

"I know that," Byakuya whispered, nipping at his ear, "I was just attempting to rile you."

Renji's eyes flared.

"I don't need you to rile me, Byakuya," he said, his reiatsu pulsing, "I was already riled."

Byakuya turned suddenly, flipping the unprepared redhead onto his back.

"I knew that, too," he commented, pushing his lover's thighs apart and working his way into his tight entrance, "I like seeing you riled."

He raised his spiritual pressure until his body glowed with it.

"You said you wanted to be with your lover, Renji. So which lover were you referring to?" he asked quietly, "Your human lover or your shinigami lover?"

"B-Byakuya…" he moaned hungrily, "I don't give a damn whether you're human or shinigami…I just want you!"

Byakuya placed a very tender kiss on the redhead's parted lips.

"And I love you for that," he whispered.


	22. I love You to Death

**Chapter 22: I Love You to Death**

"Renji," Byakuya said, leaning over to kiss the redhead awake, "You asked me to wake you in time for the vice captain's meeting. You have a half hour to get ready."

Renji rolled over, blinking and rubbing his eyes.

"Aw, hell. I hate those stupid meetings! They spend half the time arguing and the other half gossiping! Can't we send the third seat? No…wait! Don't answer that! I don't want to hear it!"

"Get up Abarai," Byakuya said sternly, "or the next time you suggest a 'break' in the early part of the day, I will decline the invitation."

Renji sat up, groaning.

"That's pretty harsh, Captain," he complained, "You didn't seem to have any problem taking a 'break!'"

"No," Byakuya agreed, "but I also got up, showered and returned to work after. You decided to further squander your time by sleeping!"

"I thought you said I earned the privilege!" Renji objected.

"Yes, well, quite a bit of work piled up while you were sleeping. In any case, that meeting starts soon."

"All right, I'm up…see?" he said, tossing a pillow at Byakuya, "I'm going to take a quick shower. Want to join me?"

Byakuya sighed.

"I would, but unfortunately, I have a captain's meeting soon and a few of the files I need for it are at the manor."

"Ah, right, captain's meeting. I forgot. Hey, kick Kurotsuchi's ass for me while you're there! You know, Kisuke said the way he planned to return you to human form was barbaric and 'didn't work worth a shit.' I'd like to take that guy's zanpakutou and shove it…"

"An interesting idea," Byakuya said, raising an eyebrow, "but I think he'll be busy fending off more than a few questions about his activities."

"Will you be coming back here after or going home?"

"I'll meet you here. I'll have a final report to file and we can walk home together."

"It's a date!" Renji said, smiling.

Byakuya watched longingly as Renji walked into the bathroom, but sighed softly and left the captain's quarters, closing the door softly behind him. He walked out to his desk and picked up a file. As he stood, looking through it, a sudden flash of light startled him. He looked around quickly, then out the window, but saw nothing. Shaking his head, he set the file down and left the office, starting back along the street leading to Kuchiki Manor. As he walked past an intersection, another bright flash down the side street on his right caught his attention. Byakuya placed a hand on his zanpakutou and turned in the direction of the flash.

He walked slowly down the street and found himself standing in front of a dark colored two story building that was giving off odd currents. He sensed Shuji's reiatsu and froze for a moment…but the reiatsu seemed weak, as though it had been there for some time. He took a breath and pushed the door open.

The inside was dark and several areas were marked off with yellow tape. Byakuya walked slowly across the room and started up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he paused, feeling as though he was being watched. He felt an icy coldness in the pit of his stomach, but swallowed hard and forced it away. He walked into the bedroom. He could see where the pictures had been attached to walls and ceiling, but they were gone now…removed as evidence. A picture was lying facedown on the floor. Thinking it had been left behind, he picked it up. He turned it over to look at it and froze.

The picture was of him with Renji, standing in front of the senkaimon. A second picture on the floor caught his eye. He picked it up and stared. It was a picture of him addressing the council. He extended his senses, but sensed no one in the building. He started down the stairs and as he made his way back to the front door, he found a picture of him entering the Squad Six office. His breathing quickened and he stepped out in front of the building and looked around. The street was empty.

Byakuya returned to the street that led to the manor, shaking his head and thinking that it had to be his cousin playing games with his mind. It was just the kind of sick game Orochi would play. Orochi had been equally venomous as a child. He wondered briefly if it wouldn't have been better to let Renji kill him while he had the chance…but of course that would have resulted in the clan ordering Renji's death.

Another flash of light startled him out of his reverie. Byakuya looked carefully around, but saw nothing and no one who looked as though they could have been responsible for the flash of light. Shaking his head to clear it, he ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and walked on.

He sighed with relief as he reached the manor and passed through the front gates. The housekeeper greeted him cordially and he returned the greeting and turned down the hallway toward his room. He felt his heart slowing and calm returning now that he had reached the manor. He made a mental note to have Renji return with him to Shuji's apartment the next day to conduct a thorough search for any remaining photographs. He planned to check the reiatsu more closely to see if there were any signs of who was trying to unnerve him.

"_Byakuya…"_ a hissing voice whispered.

The noble froze, listening deeply, but heard nothing more. He waited for several minutes before entering his room. The room was uncharacteristically dark and somewhat cold. Of course, he and Renji hadn't been in the room together since before he had been transformed. He shivered softly, remembering. He suddenly wished Renji would decide to skip the vice captain's meeting and come home instead. He walked to the nightstand and picked up the file he had come to retrieve. As he did, several pictures fell out and Byakuya's heart began to race.

They were pictures of Shuji, lying naked on top of Byakuya in Byakuya and Renji's bed. He looked around quickly and extended his reiatsu, but again, did not sense anyone nearby.

"This isn't real," he whispered, "It's just a cruel joke. Shuji is dead. He is dead."

He heard a soft noise issue from the bathroom and silently moved across the room to investigate. Looking in, he saw nothing that could have caused the sound. He turned and moved into the dressing area. Strangely, his red nightclothes were lying on the floor. He crossed to the dressing area and picked them up, studying them carefully. He felt a chill pass through him as he realized that he sensed Shuji's reiatsu on them. But it made sense. Shuji had been in the room. There was bound to be residual reiatsu.

He placed the clothes in the clothes hamper and stood. As he did, he caught a reflection in the mirror that froze the blood in his veins. The file dropped from his hand and he backed away from the mirror, his eyes wide.

It was Shuji's reflection…but his face was distorted by a hollow mask. He turned quickly and saw no one behind him. He turned back to find that the reflection was gone. He stood for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to decide what to do. Renji would still be in the vice captain's meeting and he was going to be late for the captain's meeting if he did not leave soon.

He walked back to where he had dropped the file and bent to retrieve it. As he stood, he realized suddenly that the image of Shuji had appeared in the mirror again. He trembled softly, staring at it and stepping backward. As he backed away, he bumped into someone and gasped in surprise. Strong arms took hold of him and he felt something prick his skin. He tried to use a kido attack, but whatever had been released into his system was rapidly draining his spirit energy. He tried to call out, but found himself unable to speak. Even reaching out with his mind for Senbonzakura gained no results. His legs went weak and he found himself being lifted and carried back to the bed. His eyes refused to focus and his head spun wildly. Hands were methodically taking hold of his clothes, removing them and then replacing them with the red nightclothes he had been wearing when Shuji had attacked him before.

"You look much more comfortable, Byakuya," Shuji said, stroking his face.

"S-stop!" he gasped, blinking and trying to focus.

_Shuji is dead! He's dead! This can't be happening!_

"Shh, be quiet, now. It's time for us to go."

Byakuya struggled against the haze enshrouding his mind, forcing his legs into motion, kicking wildly and breaking free. He rolled off of the bed and pushed himself to his feet, then gasped harshly as a body came down on his, forcing him to the floor and holding him there. He felt another sharp prick on his skin and the room began to fade around him.

"Do not fight me anymore," a low voice warned him, "You will damage yourself and you could ruin everything. It isn't time for you to die…yet."

He was dragged back to the bed and forced down. He heard the clicking of a camera advancing and light flashed in his hazed eyes, blinding him.

"N-no…Sh-shuji!"

"Do you think I am that pathetic creature I let you think I was? I fooled you, didn't I? I fooled all of you…even your snaky cousin! I promise you that I am not at all what you thought I was…not at all!"

"You…you were…a hollow? All along?" Byakuya panted dizzily, "How?"

"I am what is known as a Sleeper Hollow. I am able to appear as a shinigami at will to conceal myself. I was the prototype for one of Ichimaru Gin's experiments, but I escaped his laboratory and secreted myself in the desert. Once I realized my power, I went to the Seireitei, where I first spotted you. I was designed to focus on one target…and the target Gin programmed into me before my escape, was you, Byakuya. I concealed myself and moved ever closer to you. I placed myself carefully in a position to acquire you, but something went terribly wrong. You see…I was the one behind the attack on your training group here. If not for that ridiculous Takashi, I would have taken you that day! You remember the flashes of light that distracted you, right? That was me…taking a picture before I would have taken you."

"You…you…"

"I was in the Seireitei and I discovered your plan to travel to Hueco Mundo for training. I planned that attack. I would have succeeded if not for that kid! I tried again to take you when you were a human, but you escaped. Then your cousin came to kill me. I let him think he succeeded, then waited for things to be resolved and for you to return to the Seireitei. Now I will take you as I planned."

"Wha-what are you…going to…do?"

Shuji smiled.

"Gin developed the Sleeper Hollow to infiltrate the Gotei 13. I was built to infiltrate, acquire a target and use it to reproduce. The newly made sleepers then continue the pattern, expanding the number of sleepers until the target area is overwhelmed. You see, you are going to be part of something huge…the end of the Seireitei. Because we will reproduce and expand in numbers until the Seireitei holds no more shinigami."

"What…happens when everything is gone?"

Shuji laughed softly.

"The hollows will take over everything. There won't be anyone left to oppose us. We will no longer suffer under the tyranny of the shinigamis!"

He kissed Byakuya lightly on the lips.

"So you see, you are part of something very important. I will suck the life out of you and make you over into another like me…and once you share my power, we can reproduce and create an army of Sleeper Hollows, each designed to capture, kill or acquire more shinigami. You will return to the Seireitei, looking as if nothing ever happened, but while they wonder what is happening and shake their heads, you will bring their society down around their ears!"

Byakuya shook his head in disbelief. He struggled against the bony hands that held him and tried to cry out. Shuji bound his hands and lifted him, then walked blithely out into the garden and slashed the sky, opening a garganta. As several stunned servants came into the garden, the hollow carried Byakuya to the garganta and stepped through.

XXXXXXXXXX

Renji sat at his desk, restlessly drinking a cup of tea and poring over reports. Byakuya was late…and far later then he should have been. Renji sighed and wondered what could be keeping him. He hoped it wasn't more trouble. They had had their share of that lately and the two of them, Renji decided, were about due for a vacation.

"Vice Captain Abarai, sir," Rikichi said, interrupting his thoughts, "these are the other files you asked for. I would have been back sooner, but Captain Kurotsuchi was in the library area doing research and he always kind of scares me, so I…"

"Yeah, okay Rikichi, just give me the reports."

The boy handed him the files and started out of the room. Renji shook his head and continued reading. But as he did so, something began to nag at him. Something wasn't right. Something wasn't right with…

"Vice Captain Abarai?"

He looked up to find Tadashi and Nia standing in front of his desk.

"We were told to report here for duty, sir, as per Captain Kuchiki's order."

"Right," he said, his mind still distracted.

"Sir," said Tadashi, "Is everything okay?"

"Not really," said Renji as Rikichi re-entered the room.

Renji felt his heart beginning to race.

"Rikichi…" Renji said slowly.

"Hai, Vice Captain."

"Did you just tell me…that Captain Kurotsuchi was…in the library?"

"Hai…in the library," the boy confirmed.

"But…there was a captain's meeting…" Renji began.

"Oh, that got out a long time ago," Rikichi said, turning back, "Sir, is something wrong?"

"Has there been any word from Captain Kuchiki since then?" Renji asked, a cold feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

"No sir. Not since he left here hours ago."

Renji came to his feet and slipped Zabimaru into his belt.

"Vice Captain Abarai?" Rikichi queried as he headed for the door.

Renji ignored him. He heard Tadashi say something to Nia and registered that they were following, but he was unable to think about anything but Byakuya. He flash stepped to the first division and ran inside. The doors to the meeting room were open and there was no one inside. He shot back out the door and headed toward home. As he flash stepped, he caught sight of Ukitake and Shunsui walking together. He stopped and bowed.

"Sirs, if you will excuse me…" he said respectfully.

"Good to see you, Abarai," said Ukitake, smiling, "We were just talking about you and Byakuya. We were wondering if you were the reason he missed the captain's meeting…"

"He wasn't at the captain's meeting?" Renji asked, his heart sinking.

"No," said Shunsui, "We thought, perhaps that in the chaos of everything that happened, he must have forgotten."

"Byakuya never misses captain's meetings!"

Ukitake furrowed his brow.

"You think something is wrong?"

"I don't know," Renji said, turning, "but I know he would never miss a captain's meeting!"

The three shinigami raced to the manor and ran through the gate and into the gardens. As they turned the corner, they slid to a stop, staring. A detachment of Squad Two was searching around the grounds.

"What the hell?"

Renji approached a huddled group of servants.

"What happened? Where is Byakuya?"

"We…we saw him taken…" one of them stammered, "It was that photographer…the one that stayed here…but…but he was…a hollow!"

Renji ran into the bedroom where a group of shinigami was carefully studying the scene. He stopped as he reached the bed and felt his heart drop. Byakuya's uniform lay on the neatly made bed. And lying on top of it was one of Shuji's pictures of him with Byakuya…only the background had been changed to the desert of Hueco Mundo and both Byakuya and Shuji wore hollow masks.

"Sir?" said Tadashi from the doorway, "Sir, what happened?"

"Are you two good at tracing reiatsu?" he asked sharply.

"Yes, sir," replied Tadashi, "Nia is the best tracker in our squad!"

"Then come with me!" Renji yelled, "That bastard took him to Hueco Mundo! We have to get to him before it's too late!"


	23. Entangled

**Chapter 23: Entangled**

Shuji looped Byakuya's bound hands around his shoulders and brought the noble's head to rest against him. The half-conscious shinigami barely managed to keep his feet and leaned heavily against the hollow, blinking to clear his vision.

"Look up at the sky, Byakuya," Shuji said in a strangely gentle voice, "I know you love the moon and stars. I've chosen a place under the stars for your transformation."

"Shuji…"

"Shh, I know you're anxious about this, but I promise you, it won't be too painful and when you have been transformed, you will not have any regrets. Your regrets will die with your shinigami form."

"Shuji, why are you doing this?" Byakuya asked dazedly.

The hollow smiled warmly.

"Byakuya, this is what I was created to do. This is why I was brought into being. There is great satisfaction in becoming who we are meant to be, is there not? When you were young, you dreamed of being a captain. When I became self aware and I knew my directive, I dreamed of finding you, of bringing you here, of lying next to you under these very stars and binding myself to you."

He slipped his fingers into the noble's silken black hair.

"You gave my life a distinct purpose. Because of you, I have a reason for being here. I devoted everything to that purpose, to bringing the two of us to this place and time. It has not been easy, but I have enjoyed the challenge…and I will enjoy the completion of that directive."

"But," Byakuya said, his mind clearing somewhat, "Your directive is nothing but a cold order from a heartless man, Shuji. It is no great purpose…just a machination created by him to obtain a goal of his own. How can this fulfill you?"

Shuji smiled.

"You are naïve, aren't you? You think your purpose is more valid than mine, but have you ever thought about this, Byakuya? Have you ever really? You may have had the desire to become a captain, but it was programmed into you by your parents and loved ones. I had neither…but I had a creator…and the directive he placed in me is no less fulfilling than the one your family programmed into you. You see, we all respond to the desires of our forebears. My directive is as valid as yours, my reason for living is as real. And just as you let nothing come between you and becoming a captain, I will let nothing come between us tonight. You will die in my arms and I will make you over into another like me."

"Why do you desire another like yourself?"

Shuji looked surprised by the question.

"It is a part of my directive," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"But it's not just that, is it?" Byakuya went on, "You want another like you, because you desire completion and continuance…like other beings, you deem these things important. But to truly be a complete being, you must allow your own passions to overcome both instinctive and programmed choices. For my part, I may be a captain and clan leader by family directive. I may long for completion and continuance from instinct, but it is my own passions that have given me the greatest satisfaction, my love for Renji Abarai. I needed no directive, no instinct to find that…and that is what really made me feel the most alive. If you have never known true passion, Shuji, then you have never been alive."

"I do not need passion," Shuji said with a cold edge to his voice, "I am a hollow."

"Hollows are creatures of passion…" Byakuya objected, "They rise out of fear, anger, hatred, injustice, aching and brokenness. Passions cause the birth of a hollow, Shuji. But you would know this if you were something truly alive and not just Gin's puppet."

Shuji's eyes flashed and became deadly.

"I am not his puppet!" he said angrily, "That is why I escaped him. He was cold-hearted and hateful…and he had decided that I was imperfect and he would have destroyed me. So I escaped him and I followed my directive to you. I found you and I have taken you…and when you die and become like me, he will know I was worthy of the life he gave me."

"Shuji, you don't need to prove anything to him! His directive means less than nothing. I know what means something to you. It is more than any directive and more than base instinct"

The hollow stared at him in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"It is in the photographs you took. When you photographed me, you were not thinking of my beauty or significance as a hollow. You loved me as you saw me. You desired me for who I am! You are only planning to change my nature, because of Gin's order…and the instinct for survival. But that isn't what you want, is it?"

Shuji stared at him in silence.

"That's why Gin decided to destroy you, isn't it…because you were imperfect for a hollow. Because you are part shinigami…part of you responds to desires of the heart. If you were truly a hollow, you would not have a heart…and if you did not have a heart, it could not be broken…by Gin's decision to destroy you…or mine to reject your love."

Shuji turned suddenly, breaking the bonds on Byakuya's wrists and sending him tumbling backwards onto the sand. He dove down onto the noble as he tried to gain his feet and pinned him roughly to the ground.

"He cannot destroy me…and you cannot reject me!" he hissed furiously.

Byakuya tore free and rolled to his feet. He backed away as Shuji advanced.

"You talk so gently, Byakuya, trying to trick me so that you can get away. But you won't escape. Your powers are sealed away and you cannot run fast enough to escape me. So let us end the useless talking. I want to show you something. I want to show you that despite all you say, you know nothing of my nature. I want to show you exactly what my nature is!"

Byakuya's eyes widened and he stepped back further as light shimmered around the hollow and he began to change. His body and legs thickened and he grew dangerously sharp talons on fingers and toes, and eight long, snakelike tendrils grew and extended from his sides.

"This is my true form, Byakuya," he said, his power flaring and glowing red, "and this will be your true form that you will use when you devour your prey."

One of the tendrils shot forward and buried itself in Byakuya's abdomen. Byakuya gasped and dropped to his knees, then grabbed the tendril and tried to pull it free. Shuji closed in and took hold of his hands, forcing them away and taking Byakuya to the ground. Another tendril thrust into the noble's body.

"This is how you will devour your prey, Byakuya. You will have eight tendrils…seven to draw the life from your victim and to infect the spirit centers so that once the victim dies, he is reborn as a sleeper hollow."

Another tendril sank into his body. Byakuya gasped sharply, still struggling to twist free. Shuji held him in a viselike grip and continued to pierce his body with the tendrils until all seven had attached themselves and Byakuya's movements began to weaken. The embedded tendrils began to glow a dark blood red and Byakuya felt blood and reiatsu beginning to flow from his body into the other. Shuji's hands released his and took hold of his face.

"You were right when you said that I loved you as a shinigami, Byakuya," the hollow said, gently tracing the noble's frighteningly pale lips, "but I desire you as one of my own kind as well. And once we share our hollow form, you will not resist me anymore. You will realize that we are meant to be together."

He leaned forward and kissed Byakuya gently on the lips.

"But there is one more thing I must do to make you take on your hollow form."

The last of the tendrils wrapped itself around Byakuya's body and then the tip came to rest over his heart.

"A hollow has no need of heart or life, so the last tendril will take both and cause you to transform. This is the final step, Byakuya. This is the step that will bring us together."

The tendril moved until it touched his skin. Held tightly and unable to move, Byakuya's body shuddered with revulsion. He turned his head away and closed his eyes.

"Look at me," Shuji said, taking hold of his face, "I want to see your face while I transform you. I want to see the hollow mask as it forms."

The hollow tightened his grip.

"Open your eyes!"

The sudden shattering screech of the skeletal snake shook the ground, disturbing the sand all around them. Shuji's head turned and while he was distracted, Byakuya took hold of the final tendril and held it away.

"Stop, Renji Abarai!" Shuji commanded, "You have already arrived too late!"

The tendril in Byaukya's hands twisted and Shuji placed his hands on the noble's throat and began to squeeze. The skeletal snake surged forward, taking Shuji in its teeth and ripping him free of the struggling noble. The tendrils still embedded in his body pulled apart as the skeletal snake tore Shuji away, and blood and reiatsu began to pour out onto the sand.

Nia flash stepped to the captain's side as Tadashi and Renji closed in on the hollow. She swiftly took hold of the writhing tendril ends and bound them tightly together, cutting off the outflow of blood and reiatsu. She leaned over Byakuya, healing what injuries she could, but carefully avoiding the still moving tendrils.

Renji and Tadashi flash stepped after the skeletal snake, pausing to watch as the beast sent Shuji crashing into the sand and pounded him with bony segments as the skeletal snake came apart. The two raced forward then, blades drawn, as Shuji dragged his bloodied form into a standing position.

"Fools! You think you can stop me?"

His body flared with red light and the damage began to heal itself. Renji and Tadashi attacked immediately, not wanting to give the creature time to fully heal.

"And even if you kill me," the hollow went on, cackling madly, "Byakuya is already infected. His spirit centers have been affected…and the tendrils in his body will tear it as they are removed, depriving him of life and setting the transformation into motion anyway!"

Renji slashed at Shuji, roaring with fury and dragging the serrated edge of Zabimaru across the hollow's torso. Blood exploded from his body and the hollow fell to his knees. Red light flared again as he began healing himself. As Tadashi brought his blade down, a kido shield rose around Shuji, stopping the attack. Renji and Tadashi saw the look of surprise on Shuji's face and realized that it hadn't come from him. They turned back and saw Nia flash stepping toward them.

"Nia!" cried Tadashi, "What are you doing?"

"Stop!" she called out, "You can't kill him! He will pull the tendrils free and Byakuya will die!"

She sent another bright flash of kido into the shield and within it, Shuji collapsed.

"We have to keep him alive and unconscious. If he wakes, he could pull the tendrils free and if he dies, they will automatically tear away."

"How the heck did you figure that out?" Renji asked, staring at her in confusion.

"The tendrils continued to move and draw blood and reiatsu even once they were torn," she explained, "He tried to tear them away…to kill Byakuya, but I managed to tie them off and hold them. We have to get them both to the twelfth division. The only one I know of who can deal with something like this is Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Like hell, I'm going to put him in that creep's hands!" Renji yelled, "It's that creep's fault that Byakuya ended up in that faulty human form! He may not have done the transformation, but he knew Kisuke ordered the technology destroyed and he just had to tinker around with it!"

"I know Captain Kurotsuchi is not a good man," said Nia, "but I don't know how else to help him."

"Renji…"

The redhead turned and flash stepped to Byakuya's side. He dropped to his knees in the sand next to him and took hold of his hand. Byakuya looked up into his eyes and Renji froze as the truth of the situation dawned on him. The stormy gray eyes stared back at him…but beneath the dark, familiar gray, the centers were beginning to glow red.

"Byakuya!" he gasped, lifting the noble so that he rested against the redhead, his chest heaving softly as he fought for breath.

"There is little time, Renji," Byakuya said in a choked voice, "Shuji has infected my spirit centers."

"We'll get you to Kisuke…" Renji began.

"No…" Byakuya moaned, "Gin…we need Ichimaru Gin. He created Shuji…and he is the only one who might reverse the damage."

"We can't go back to Las Noches!" Renji exclaimed, "Aizen will tear you to shreds this time! We just got away from that bastard! We can't go back there!"

"No…but you can…abduct Gin…"

"Wha…? You can't be serious!" Renji said, staring.

"Would you rather be forced to kill me, Renji? You know that if I die now, I will become a hollow. You cannot allow that to happen. You are required by our laws to kill me if I begin to transform. Our only choice is to find Gin and convince him to help!"

"That lying snake isn't going to help us! He'll only lie and kill you himself!"

"No, he won't," Byakuya said, looking into the redhead's eyes, "because you will bring him to the twelfth division…and threaten to turn him in if he fails to cure me."

"Better yet, I'll threaten to give the bastard to Kurotsuchi to experiment on!" Renji snapped, "Damn! I hate this!"

He turned to Nia.

"Can you get them to the twelfth?" he asked.

Nia nodded.

"I can open a senkaimon and get them there. What are you and Tadashi going to do?"

Renji grinned.

"We're going snake hunting!"

"You do realize how crazy this is!" Tadashi said, shaking his head in wonder.

"Yeah," Renji laughed, "Welcome to the Sixth. Crazy is how we roll here! Now, are you coming or would you rather go back and wait with Captain Kurotsuchi?"

"Are you kidding?" Tadashi said, matching Renji's grin.

He turned back to his sister, sobering somewhat.

"Nia, will you be all right?" he asked.

"Me?" she asked, her eyes glistening, "I'm not the crazy idiot about to charge into Las Noches and kidnap Ichimaru Gin. You're both crazy!"

She wiped her eyes and stepped forward to hug Tadashi.

"Takashi would be proud of us, I think," she said softly, "He too, would have gone to these lengths for his captain."

Tadashi nodded and kissed her cheek.

"And we shall do no less," he said softly in return.


	24. Bagging the Snake

**Chapter 24: Bagging the Snake**

It was late at night when the long expanse of dark sand dunes gave way to the deceptively tranquil environs of Las Noches. Tadashi was a silent shadow at Renji's side as the two edged along the side of one of the buildings. Renji leaned close to Tadashi.

"This is nuts!" Renji whispered, "I sure as hell never thought I'd be trying to break into Las Noches to capture Gin!"

"Well, Captain Kuchiki needs our help…and I really owe him…considering."

"Hey," said Renji, meeting his eyes encouragingly, "it's good you want to help him, but stop being so hard on yourself. You and Nia are going through a hard time, losing your brother like that. And Shuji's picture was really convincing. What you did was wrong, but Byakuya understands why it happened…and he wants to move past it. He really respected Takashi's abilities, and now he wants to help you."

He sighed and shook his head.

"Let's just try to let this go and focus on the mission at hand. Now, when Byakuya and I were here before, I was able to move around a little. I noticed that there are lots of ways to get in, but it's getting out that's tricky. I want you to stay very close to me."

"Hai."

They followed the building around to a small, walled in courtyard and climbed a brick wall, dropping down softly on the other side. They followed the line of bushes to a small door.

"The funny thing about this door is that it opens into a storage area that leads into the fortress, but there isn't much security in the area…I guess because you wouldn't think anyone would be crazy enough to sneak in here. Now once we're inside, I have to depend on you to figure out where Gin is, because your reiatsu sensing is better than mine. Stay close, and tell me when you sense him nearby."

Renji picked the lock on the door and the two slipped inside. They moved into the storage area and hid behind stacked crates as Tadashi read the reiatsu in the area. He located Gin's reiatsu and pointed silently. They slipped out from behind the crates and moved silently through the too quiet hallways, carefully working their way toward the reiatsu Tadashi had sensed.

"I just realized something," Renji said softly, "We're heading right toward Aizen's bedroom. They might be together…and if that is the case, we have to do something to attract Gin's attention. Any ideas?"

"Well," said Tadashi, reaching into his shihakushou, "snakes like mice, right?"

He pulled a small mouse from his pocket, "We use these mice in the twelfth to monitor restricted areas. They are beneath notice and can easily move around. Let me show you."

They slipped into a small room just short of the hallway where Gin and Aizen slept and hid behind a sofa. Tadashi put the mouse on the floor and took out a small viewing screen and a control device. The mouse shot swiftly across the floor and disappeared into the hallway. Tadashi sent it down the hallway, keeping it close to the wall, where it slipped past the guards and under the door. It moved slowly around the bedroom, turning in different directions to offer a variety of visual angles. Tadashi pushed several buttons and watched the screen carefully.

"Yeah," Tadashi said softly, "We're in trouble…because they're wound around each other just like you'd expect a couple of snakes to be!"

"Shit," muttered Renji, "that's not going to work…"

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

"We have to get him out of that room without Aizen following. So, how are we going to do that?"

Tadashi laughed softly.

"Well, I have to say, I never in my wildest dreams thought this would be necessary, but the mouse is capable of hypnotic suggestion," he explained.

Renji gave Tadashi a very intense look of disquiet.

"You do know what a freak Kurotsuchi is, don't you…" he said wryly.

"Of course," said Tadashi, touching several buttons on the controller, "Now watch as Gin suddenly feels the need to urinate."

"Wait a sec," Renji said, grabbing his arm, ""If you're sending him to the bathroom, we should get in there and catch him as he comes in."

"Hai."

Tadashi followed Renji out into the hallway and silently to the bathroom. They slipped inside and waited behind the door. Tadashi checked the video screen, then touched several buttons, then watched the screen as Gin began to stir. He twitched several times and reached down to rub his suddenly swelling member.

"Tadashi!" Renji hissed, "What the hell? He doesn't need the bathroom! He needs…"

He broke off as Gin nuzzled closer to Aizen and began to nibble at his throat. Aizen's voice floated softly through the speaker.

"Again? Well…if you are in the mood…"

"Ah, Kami, I think I'm going to throw up!" commented Renji, "Please, at least turn off the sound so I don't have to hear them moaning!"

"Sorry, the code numbers were kind of close. I think I was off by a digit," said Tadashi, lowering the volume, "Well, he'll probably have to go after, right?"

"Shit, those two are twisted," muttered Renji, "Kami, I hope they hurry up. This is really disgusting. I am so glad he never got his hands on Byakuya! Not that he didn't try, snaky bastard!"

"Wow…" commented Tadashi, "and I thought Captain Kurotsuchi was a slavemaster! If it wasn't Gin, I'd feel sorry for whoever he slept with!"

"Please, Tadashi, I'm trying to ignore this!" complained Renji.

"Well, it could be educational…"

"Tadashi," Renji sighed, ""I think you've been in the twelfth for too long!"

"Say that again after Gin is in our hands!" Tadashi laughed softly, "You may not like it, but sometimes the freakish stuff from the twelfth comes in real handy!"

"I think you're enjoying this too much!"

"Okay…looks like they're done…no, hang on, he's finishing Gin…"

"Tadashi!"

"Sorry, Vice Captain. They're done…and…oh…oh, Vice Captain! This is not good! Aizen is coming!"

"Tadashi!"

"No…sir…coming to the bathroom!" Tadashi hissed.

"Oh shit!"

The door opened and Aizen entered and started to close the door. Two kido spells struck him at the same time, dropping him in his tracks. Renji and Tadashi quickly yanked him inside and bound his hands and feet.

"Not that it will do a damned bit of good, you know. As soon as he regains consciousness, we are so fucked! He can do stuff without speaking or using his zanpakuto! That is how fucking scary this guy is!" Renji groaned.

"Why not just kill the bastard and end all of our troubles?" Tadashi asked.

"Because…when I was here before, one of the things I learned was that he set things up so that if he was killed, Las Noches would automatically self destruct and kill everything within about a mile of this place! I don't know if that is true, but I'd rather not find out!"

"That kind of makes me want to use a little more caution," Tadashi admitted, "but I think I can keep him out for a while…until morning."

He took a small tablet out of a plastic vial and placed it under Aizen's tongue.

"There, now hopefully, we don't have to worry about him. Now we just have to get Gin to…"

The bathroom door opened suddenly and Gin stepped in and promptly tripped over Aizen's bound form. Renji launched himself onto Gin and Tadashi removed a small device from his pocket and touched it to the struggling shinigami's body. Gin convulsed and fell still.

"Damn!" exclaimed Renji, "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No sir," said Tadashi, leaning over Gin, "I just knocked him out."

They quickly bound Gin and Renji threw him over his shoulder.

"Let's get the fuck out of here before Aizen wakes up!" Renji said insistently.

Tadashi pushed several buttons on the mouse controller and the creature returned, slipping easily under the door and into the shinigami's waiting hand.

"Can't we just open a senkaimon and take the easy way out?" asked Tadashi.

"Naw," muttered Renji, "We'd be dead before we got it all of the way open. We'll go back the way we came."

They slipped out of the bathroom and slunk around the corner and down the hallway. As they approached the stairway, Renji spotted a hollow patrol at the bottom.

"Quick, in here!"

They ducked into a room and shut the door. As the patrol moved past, they sighed softly in relief and Renji moved to open the door.

"And where do you think you are going with him?" said a cold male voice.

Tadashi instantly launched himself in the direction of the voice, readying the shock device. The hollow moved suddenly and although both went to the floor, the hollow ended up on top.

"Shit, not now!" Renji moaned, dropping Gin.

He leapt onto the hollow and wrapped his arms tightly around its throat, choking off a cry of warning. Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the door, but Renji held the hollow tightly by the throat until it expired with a soft huffing sound and dissolved into ash.

Renji picked up Gin and carried him to the door, looking back at Tadashi. The shinigami was studying a slash to his ribs. Frowning, Renji set Gin down.

"Don't worry about it, sir, it's nothing!" insisted Tadashi, "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"First things first," Renji said, moving in close to him and gently pulling away the top the other's shihakushou, "You aren't going anywhere without us healing that slash. You'll drop from blood loss before we get to the bottom of the stairs!"

He leaned close and spent several long minutes carefully healing and binding the wound. The only sounds they heard now were occasional footsteps in the distance, the ticking of a clock and now and then a cough or light snoring. When he finished the healing, Tadashi put his uniform back in order and followed as Renji picked up Gin and headed for the door. They peeked out into the hallway and found it clear. As they stepped silently down the stairs, they looked longingly at the large double doors that they knew led into the guarded courtyard.

"Faster, but only a faster way to die," Renji whispered, "It's way too well guarded."

All at once, alarms began to shriek all around them. The doors burst open, nearly throwing them to the floor and guards poured into the darkened building, blindly passing the shinigamis trapped behind the door. Renji glanced at Tadashi.

"Okay, I guess that pill didn't knock him out for as long as we'd hoped! I don't know how many guards are left out there, but it's our only way out now. Flash step and don't stop until we are clear. Don't wait for me if I fall behind…just get out!"

They dashed out the doors, listening to the yelling of the few courtyard guards that had remained. They flash stepped again and again, feeling the heat of pursuit closing in. Light pulsed all around them, flooding the area around Las Noches with light and exposing them over and over. Gradually, the sounds of pursuit faded and they slowed and stopped behind a sand dune. Tadashi quickly began opening a senkaimon as Renji set Gin down and checked his bonds. The shinigami was awake now and looking both flustered at his situation and frighteningly furious. When the senkaimon was opened, Tadashi turned back to them and sent Gin off into unconsciousness again with the shocking device.

"Thanks," Renji muttered, "I wasn't sure he wouldn't try something if I tried to carry him while he was awake!"

"No problem, sir," Tadashi said, smiling, "anything I can do to help!"

They passed through the senkaimon and immediately stopped as a hell butterfly floated up to them. It stopped in front of them and Nia's voice floated out of it.

Vice Captain Abarai, I tried to take the two to Captain Kurotsuchi, but he had been in a fight and turned to liquid form, so he will be useless for our purposes for several days. I have taken them instead to Kisuke Urahara's shop. He has stabilized Captain Kuchiki for now and Shuji is being kept unconscious. Kisuke said that we cannot remove the tendrils from Captain Kuchiki until Gin comes and gives him more information about Shuji's nature. Hurry…even though the captain is stabilized, everybody here is very much on edge. I know they worry that this might not be reversible. They aren't coming out and saying it, but I can tell that's what they're thinking. I don't agree. I believe Gin will be able to tell us something."

"You heard her," Renji said quickly, "Come on!"

Tadashi turned and opened a senkaimon into the living world. As soon as it opened, the two flash stepped into it. Renji breathed a sigh of relief as they burst free of the senkaimon and landed on the street in front of Urahara's shop. They flash stepped to the door, just as it opened from the inside and Kisuke looked out at them.

"This way," he said, motioning for them to go inside.

They followed Kisuke down the hall and down the long ladder into the training room below the shop.

"I had to put them down here because I'm pretty darned sure this is going to make a mess…not to mention, it's a better place to try to contain that snake you're holding! Oh yeah," he said, slipping a band around Gin's wrist, "This will seal his spirit energy away and make him less likely to bolt."

Renji dropped Gin and flash stepped to the small cot that held Byakuya. He knelt next to the noble and slipped a hand into his, trying to ignore the presence of the tendrils protruding from the captain's slender torso.

"Byakuya," he said softly, "Byakuya, we're back. We brought Gin…"

He broke off as Byakuya's eyes opened, feeling the breath freeze in his lungs. Wide gray eyes stared dazedly up at him, but the centers glowed a deep blood red. Tiny white wisps of forming bone floated in the air around him and strange whispers rose up from within his body. Renji gasped softly.

"Kami, Kisuke!"

"Don't worry," Kisuke assured him, following his gaze, "He hasn't fully transformed. This is actually just the beginning. I'm sure the sleeping creep over there will be able to help."

"Yeah?" said Renji, skeptically, "Who's going to make him talk?"

"You let me worry about that. You stay with him. Keep talking to him. It seems to slow the process. Tessai and I will wake Gin and get to work on him."

Renji nodded wordlessly and moved closer to Byakuya, tightening a hand on his captain's. He hardened his heart against what he saw happening and focused everything on making himself speak. It was difficult at first, but he found as he began…that immediately, it seemed to grow easier.

"When I first saw you…that day you came to see Rukia at the academy? The very first thing I noticed about you…was your eyes. They told me everything. Everything else about you was held so tightly under control, so tightly that it seemed that nothing could possibly live beneath a surface so cold and distant…but the truth of who you are has always been there…in your eyes, Byakuya…"

"Renji…" Byakuya whispered.

"Relax," Renji said softly, "everything will be all right. Kisuke will get that bastard to talk and we'll find a way out of this!"

Gray and red flickered against each other. And his voice, when he spoke again, carried the dead whispers of hollows.

"Renji…you cannot…allow me to become…a hollow…"

He stared into the strange eyes and searched for the part that still remembered him.

"You won't become a hollow," he said firmly.

"That's right," Byakuya whispered, staring into his eyes, "because as my Vice Captain, it is your duty to see that it does not happen…even if you are forced to kill me yourself…Renji Abarai!"


	25. Playing the Game

**Chapter 25: Playing the Game**

Gin Ichimaru felt sensation returning to his body. In general, he felt comfortable and was in no real pain, but the fact that he woke to find himself, not in Las Noches, but in the living world…and not only that, but in the presence of none other than Kisuke Urahara, gave the snaky shinigami cause to feel a shiver of foreboding. If Gin was a savvy inventor…one who took risks to achieve, then Kisuke was equally ruthless in his pursuits in the discipline of scientific discovery.

He wondered briefly why and how he had been chosen for experimentation. It seemed ludicrous that Kisuke had dared to abduct him from Las Noches itself…in truth, from the very jaws of the enemy…the formidable Sosuke Aizen. The very idea! But then, he thought, it hadn't actually been Kisuke who did the abducting. No…strangely enough, it had been Renji Abarai and some lackey that he was certain had to have come from the twelfth division. He'd had an odd, mousy look to him.

But what did they want from him? Why had they brought him here? And why was he bound, frozen in place on an examination table, beneath a kido field that kept him from moving and gagged so that he couldn't even speak? None of it made any sense to him. But, he thought darkly, it was certain that Kisuke would tell him all too soon. And then the unpleasantness would begin. But just what the nature of that unpleasantness would be, the shinigami had no idea. He would have to be patient, to wait until more was revealed. He felt the game beginning as his captor stared down at him, smiling in an all too friendly manner. Gin felt inexplicably chilled.

"Good morning, Gin Ichimaru!" said Kisuke, smiling widely and removing his gag, "Welcome to my shop and laboratory! I'll just bet you're wondering what exactly you're dong here!"

"I must admit, I am curious why you went to the trouble of capturing me in particular," Gin said, meeting Kisuke's eyes with a look of challenge.

"Well," said Kisuke, in his 'getting down to business' voice, "You see, I have a little problem…and I'm thinking that, because it involves one of your little inventions, why, I think you might be just the person I need to solve my problem!"

"I have no idea what you are referring to, however, I'm less than likely to help you when I wake up here bound, gagged and without use of my spirit energy. Really, if you were looking to ask a favor…most would make a simple phone call or something!"

Kisuke grinned ruefully.

"Yeah, well, my phone service doesn't extend to Hueco Mundo."

"Unfortunate," said Gin, a little sarcastically, "but your phone issues and invention problems are not my problem! Now, unbind me!"

"See, that's where you're wrong. Let me see if I can explain so you'll understand. Don't worry, I'll go real slow, so even you can understand. You created a creature you called a Sleeper Hollow. Apparently, this hollow could be programmed with the identity of a target within Soul Society that it would acquire and transform into another Sleeper Hollow. The hollows would then reproduce…and they would hide themselves within Soul Society, transforming other shinigami to their hearts' content."

"Nice plan…" Gin said confrontationally, "Too bad for you, I don't know what you're talking about. I know of no such invention!"

"Sure you do!" insisted Kisuke, leaning closer to him, "You know…the one you used to set up Byakuya Kuchiki…so that it would transform him and use him to transform more shinigamis into hollows. You know, by taking Byakuya and using him that way, you probably could have taken down anyone else you wanted…maybe even Head Captain Yamamoto, himself! At least…that's what you were thinking, wasn't it? Come on…admit it! Who hasn't wanted to impress everyone by coming up with something capable of taking down the old man?"

"You're deluded," Gin said, not quite certain what to make of Kisuke's persistence.

"Oh, I don't think so," Kisuke said, his eyes glinting, "I don't think so at all. See…I happen to know for a fact just what an insane little invention you dreamed up. The reason I know that is because I have him here…Wanna see?"

Gin remained silent.

Kisuke lowered the lights in the room and pressed several buttons on a remote control. An image of Shuji appeared on the television screen in front of the restrained shinigami. Gin's eyes widened slightly, but he continued to keep silent.

"As you can see, he's been damaged. But we'll get to that in a minute. I just thought you'd want an accounting of what worked and what didn't. Your little Frankenstein was really somewhat impressive. It infiltrated the Seireitei, set itself up as a photographer and used that identity to scope out its target, in this case, Captain Kuchiki. It worked its way into Captain Kuchiki's orbit and actually did acquire him very briefly before its shinigami form was 'killed' and it was forced into hollow form. Then, the sneaky little devil slipped undetected into Kuchiki Manor and abducted the captain, then took him to Hueco Mundo. He lost his extensions when he tried to kill Captain Kuchiki and turn him into a hollow. So you see, your little invention did pretty well. He almost did it all. But see, here's the thing. Captain Kuchiki is in a pretty precarious state. He's just this side of becoming a hollow…see."

The picture on the television screen changed and Gin could see the red centers in the captain's eyes, and the wisps of forming bone floating in the air around him.

"We don't want Captain Kuchiki to become a hollow. Personally, I think he's scary enough just being himself!"

"So you wish for me to tell you how to stop it," said Gin, realization settling over him, "But why in the world would I want to do that? I'm just as happy with him becoming a Sleeper Hollow. In fact, I find the idea quite amusing."

"Yeah," said Kisuke cryptically, "I kinda thought you'd feel that way. So I thought that we could compromise…you know, you get to slink back to Las Noches alive and Captain Kuchiki gets to be a shinigami again. Can we do that?"

"I think you know what my answer will be," Gin replied coyly, "as in…not on your life! I will not help you. I don't care what you do to me."

"Hmm…" muttered Kisuke, gazing down at Gin, "I wonder how thoroughly you mean that. I mean, those are strong words…but are you willing to back them up with action…or will you crumble the minute I get rough with you? No, not you. You're a tough cookie, aren't you Gin? Being Aizen's little plaything…you must already know a thing or two about pain…so I imagine we needn't delve into torture. You probably have too high a tolerance. But there is one arena that you might be less likely to enjoy. You see, having a hollow here, and an injured one at that…one that hasn't eaten anything to sustain itself…I'm thinking that, to a hollow like that, even a skinny thing like you would be quite a tasty morsel. And here's the kicker…You'll still retain the knowledge we want in your little, hollow brain. So how about you help us get the tendrils out of the captain and keep him from becoming a hollow? Then we can avoid letting your own hollow eat you and we can send you back to your boyfriend instead of to the Soukyoku…"

"Hmm…" said Gin, grinning, "a very interesting offer, but I'm afraid that even if I wanted to, I can't help you. You know, don't you Kisuke, that once a shinigami starts showing symptoms…there's no going back. So…as you see, although I could help you with the removal of the tendrils, you can't stop Captain Kuchiki from becoming a hollow. His spirit centers have already been affected. No way to undo that…"

"You see…I knew you'd try to play games!" Kisuke said, smiling widely, "but you need to know, I'm smarter than that, Gin. And I know for a fact that what you're saying isn't true."

"And how would you know any such thing?" Gin asked, "It's not like you could have figured this hollow out so soon. That would take time…experimentation."

"Actually, I only used the power of logic. Let me explain. Your Sleeper Hollow cycles back and forth between hollow and shinigami. And for it to be undetectable, it has to flow shinigami reiatsu…not hollow. That means, that the spirit centers have to be cleared and uninfected before the hollow can take its shinigami form. I've surmised that what happens is that the spirit centers are cycled one way or the other, depending on what form the hollow opts to take. So it follows that if Captain Kuchiki is currently in transition, we can actually cycle him back to shinigami form and negate the process…as long as the final tendril hasn't pierced his heart. And as you can see…it hasn't. I think that it's that final tendril that seals the deal."

"So if you're so sure, then why don't you just reverse it yourself?" asked Gin, "Why go to all of the trouble to bring me here?"

Kisuke shrugged and laughed slyly.

"I thought you'd never ask!" he said in a low, dangerous voice, "You want to know why I brought you here? What I planned for you? Well…this is it…See, to get the reiatsu to cycle forward any more, that last tendril has to go somewhere. So what I can do is to connect it to the tendrils that are currently embedded in Captain Kuchiki. That way, if you decide not to help us, I can sink that last tendril into you, my friend…and when the hollow reiatsu cycles out, it will infect you instead!"

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Gin, "That will never work! All that will happen is that the…"

He stopped himself, smiling wickedly.

"Go ahead…Give it a try," Gin said in a challenging voice, "I dare you…"

"I have a better idea," Kisuke said, his eyes going dark, "Why don't we just wake Shuji and let him have a taste of you!"

He pushed several buttons on the television remote and touched the intercom button.

"Tessai…will you wake Shuji and bring him in here, please? I have a job for him…"

He turned back to Gin.

"I'm done playing games, you little weasel. Now, you're going to help, or you'll be a hollow before morning. If Captain Kuchiki's going to become a hollow and you're not going to help stop it, I've got no reason to keep you alive…"

The door opened and Tessai led a kido restrained Shuji to the examination table where Gin was restrained. Shuji gazed down at Gin and his eyes widened.

"You!" he growled, "How dare you!"

He closed in on Gin and Tessai loosened his bonds slightly. The hollow's hands reached for Gin and the shinigami struggled and tried to lean away. Tessai stopped the hollow just short of Gin.

"Now," said Kisuke, "I'll ask you one more time for your help, Gin…and if you don't agree, I'll figure it's a lost cause and let him tear you apart and eat you. You know he wants to…Who wouldn't after you made him and then discarded him like he was nothing!"

"He escaped!" Gin insisted.

"You were going to kill me!" roared the hollow, "Now, I'll kill you!"

He tore away from Tessai and his claws came down on a suddenly terrified Gin. Gin screamed, then everything around them froze as kido exploded from Kisuke's hands and froze Shuji in place. His claws had pierced Gin's chest slightly and blood leaked from beneath them. Gin stared, rapt, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Whew!" said Kisuke, smiling, "Well…that was close, wasn't it? You almost didn't get your chance to give me an answer. But it's okay now, Gin. You have a little time. That kido spell will hold him for, oh I'd say five minutes? Then it's all over. But it will fade nice and slow so you get to enjoy those claws for a good hour or two after he starts to move again. So give it some thought! Just don't be too long about it…"

Kisuke and Tessai turned and started toward the door. Gin stared daggers at them, spitting insults until they reached the door. As they began to walk out, he screamed defiantly and struggled madly against his bonds, unintentionally causing the claws to penetrate further.

Kisuke and Tessai waited calmly outside the door until the five minutes had almost elapsed, then re-entered just as the claws began to move very slightly. Furious at being cornered, but not wanting to actually die, Gin yelled at them to stop the claws. Kisuke smiled and moved closer.

"Tell me first how to cure Captain Kuchiki…"

"Come now…if I do that, you'll just kill me anyway!" Gin complained.

"Naw," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "If you're actually going to help us, then we need you to be the one to remove the tendrils. I have a feeling it's going to take a delicate hand that knows how they work. But I do need to know how to arrange the tendrils to reverse the hollowfying process."

The claws sank in deeper.

"All right…all right!" Gin said, flinching, "You have to re-attach the tendrils to Shuji and then drive the last tendril into his own heart. That will cause the reiatsu to cycle back out of Byakuya and into him. Then, when the captain's spirit centers are cleared, you have to remove the outer tendrils together and work your way inward two at a time until there's only one left. You do the last alone."

"Okay…" said Kisuke, turning away.

"Wait! What about Shuji?" cried Gin.

"Oh yeah…almost forgot!" exclaimed Kisuke, "So sorry!"

He sent a shock of spirit energy through his hand and into Shuji, dropping him in his tracks. Gin could quite contain a sigh of relief. Tessai picked up the hollow and carried him out of the room.

"Well?" said Gin expectantly, "I thought you needed me to remove the tendrils."

"Yeah," said Kisuke, "We'll get the room set up for that. But in the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a little bit of company."

"What do you mean?" asked Gin, sounding rattled.

The door opened and Renji Abarai stepped into the room.

"Ah, Renji," said Kisuke, "I was just thinking that Gin here could use some company while we set up the examination room! You know Gin, right?"

"Oh yeah!" said Renji in a sneering voice, "Gin and I go way back!"

"Good! Good!" said Kisuke, "Then you can keep him company while Tessai and I get things ready. Just…well…just be sure you don't bang him up too bad, Renji. We do need him to help Byakuya."

"Oh, don't worry," Renji assured him, "I won't hurt him…unless he asks for it."

Kisuke and Tessai left the room, leaving Renji alone with Gin.

"You wouldn't dare do anything…or Byakuya will die," Gin said quietly.

"Yeah," muttered Renji, "but I am going to make sure you don't try to double cross us."

He pulled up a chair and sat down near Gin.

"You might remember," Renji said quietly, "that this isn't the first time you have hurt my captain…or me."

He leaned closer and twisted a hand into his shihakusho, pulling him up slightly.

"You tortured Byakuya nearly to his breaking point…and we won't go into the shit you did to me. You are a miserable excuse for a living being and the world would be a hundred times better if I erased you from existence. If Byakuya didn't need you right now, I would already have killed you…and if you do anything to screw this up…nothing will protect you. I reached into Las Noches and dragged you out…and I can do it again! You get me?"

"Ooh," said Gin, "You're very scary, Renji. But if you lay a hand on me, my hands may just slip during the surgery. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Renji took hold of his throat and leaned close to his face.

"And if anything happens to Byakuya because of you, I'll rip you to shreds before he takes his last breath…got me?"

"Oh yes," Gin said softly, "I think you and I understand each other perfectly. A compromise then. I make sure Byakuya lives and that he does not become a hollow, and in return, I never see your ugly face again…right?"

Renji laughed softly.

"And I thought you were stupid! Looks like you do have a brain cell or two."


	26. Learning to Let go

**Chapter 26: Learning to Let Go**

Ichimaru Gin found himself in the oddest of situations as he contemplated the unconscious form of Byakuya Kuchiki and the reality of what he was to do set in. He felt Renji's flaring eyes watching his every move. If not for that…if not for the ease with which Renji had slipped into Las Noches and grabbed him, he might have been tempted to just let the scalpel slip, cut a major artery and send Byakuya into that good night…

But there was no room for deviation. With Renji, Kisuke and Tessai all within sword's reach of him and his spirit energy sealed away, there was no choice but to complete the surgery as planned. He sighed in frustration and checked the IV line to make sure the noble wouldn't wake. If they were in Las Noches, he would have wanted the noble awake…to hear the pained moans as he cut into that pale, lovely flesh and watched the redness flow over it. As it was, Byakuya was blissfully unaware…no fun at all. But when this was over…when he was back in Las Noches, he would see that they paid…Byakuya and Renji…especially Renji. But it seemed to him that the best way to hurt Renji was to hurt Byakuya. He thought carefully about that…and a slow smile crawled onto his face contemplating.

"Wipe that creepy grin off your face and get moving!" Renji said, placing a hand on his weapon.

"Easy now, Renji," he said, still grinning, "You wouldn't want to bump my arm and make me slip."

"Hmph!" Renji grunted, "Just shut up and do your job…without talking!"

_Insolent pest! I will make you pay for this, Renji!_

Kisuke stepped forward.

"Okay, I put the last tendril in place…now what?" he asked.

"You take the tendril at that end and I'll do this one. We must move precisely or we will unbalance things and his reiatsu will probably fry both of us. Wait now, while I use Shuji to cycle him back to shinigami…"

There was a pause as Gin returned to Shuji and placed a hand on the tendril that protruded from the hollow's chest. He moved it slightly, activating its power, then watched closely as the dark power flowed out of Byakuya and back into the body of the hollow. Slowly the wisps of bone floating around Byakuya's face disappeared. Gin waited until he could see that Byakuya's spirit centers were free of hollow power, then moved to address the first of the tendrils.

"Careful now," Kisuke said warningly, "You make a mistake and you're going down with him."

"I already got the lecture from Renji," Gin snapped, "Just make sure you don't slip and fuck things up. I would hate to die for your damned clumsiness!"

"You know," said Kisuke, his eyes darkening, "It would almost be worth it to see what Renji would do to your skinny ass. But I'll control the urge for now. Just…don't push your luck!"

Gin leaned over Byakuya and cut lightly around the base of the tendril, then looked up at Kisuke.

"With me…turn, pull, turn back, pull, turn back, pull, turn, pull, and turn and pull."

The two tendrils pulled free. Gin and Kisuke moved to the next two and repeated the procedure.

Renji sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, feeling sick inside at the sight of the tendrils slowly being pulled from the delicate white flesh, skin he had so often touched and tasted…and now looked raw and tormented as the tendrils were pulled away. His hatred of Gin and of the monstrosity he had created burned through Renji. It was all he could do to remember that Gin was the only one who could help Byakuya. And it was awful that Renji could only stand and watch, could not actually do a thing to help his injured lover.

He gazed at the noble's beautiful, sleeping face, thinking about how good it felt to wake up next to Byakuya each morning. He finally felt the return of his confidence that they would have a long, happy future ahead of them, one filled with love…with friendship…and someday, with a family. He wondered how many children they would have and what they would be like, who they would favor. He hoped that they would favor Byakuya. He didn't think he looked bad…but…Byakuya's hair, his skin, his eyes…they were all just so beautiful to Renji. He wanted their kids to be that beautiful too…and he knew that whoever they favored, they would be angelically beautiful to him. He wondered if he should bring up the subject. He'd been wanting to for some time, but Byakuya appeared to be waiting for something…perhaps from himself, or perhaps from Renji. Renji decided that as soon as Byakuya woke, he was going to ask…

He looked on silently as Gin moved to take out the last tendril, watching closely to make sure nothing was amiss. Kisuke leaned over Byakuya, carefully closing each wound, then sending healing energy through the whole area. As the last bandage was laid in place on the noble's body, Byakuya stirred and his eyes opened.

"Are you in any pain, Captain?" asked Kisuke.

Byakuya shook his head. He was looking up, staring across the room at Shuji's motionless form. Renji moved to his side, taking his hand and following his eyes to the hollow.

"It will be okay now," he said reassuringly.

Gin looked up at the sound of Renji's voice and followed their eyes to the hollow. His expression unreadable, he picked up Senbonzakura and before the others' shocked eyes, drew the weapon and drove it through the hollow. Shuji's eyes opened and he released a scream of agony, then slowly, his body faded and disappeared. Noting that Renji had risen and that Zabimaru was now freed and pointed in his direction, he returned Byakuya's weapon to its sheath and set it back down.

"I did what I said I would do," he said quietly, "Now, release me."

Kisuke placed a hand on Gin's wrist and loosed his spirit energy. Gin smiled and turned to Renji.

"Well, good to see your little boyfriend is going to be all right."

He leaned close to Renji.

"You'd best keep a close eye on him, Renji. You wouldn't want anything else to happen to him. Goodness knows how you would worry if he went and disappeared…"

Renji grabbed Gin by the throat and held Zabimaru to his chest.

"Say that again," he dared Gin, "You don't want to know what I'll do to you if you ever lay hands on him!"

"You shouldn't tempt me, Abarai," Gin said warningly, "You never know when it will come back to haunt you."

There was the hiss of a flash step and he was gone. Beside Renji, Byakuya flinched and gasped softly, redness rising in a jagged line across one pale cheek. Renji grabbed his face, healing light flaring around his hands. Byakuya's eyes met his warningly.

"That son of a bitch cut you!" he raged, "I'm going to kill him!"

He started to turn away, but was stayed by a calm hand.

"Don't do it, Renji," Byakuya said softly, "Don't go after him."

Renji looked back into the dark eyes with eyes that flared nearly red with hatred.

"How can you ask me to not go after him?" he asked in a wounded voice, "He is the reason all of this happened, Bya! Have you forgotten? He made that freak! He programmed it to come after you! How in the hell do you expect me to forget that? You aren't just my captain…you are the love of my life! He sent that thing after you…and he would have been glad if it had killed you…turned you into another monster like that! And even after everything, he just threatened you right in front of me! And he cut you… How can you ask me to not go after him? He deserves to die. I deserve to be there to make it happen!"

Byakuya lifted a soft hand and brushed away a tear from the corner of Renji's eye. He met the angry eyes with inexplicable calm.

"I need you here," he whispered, "I want to go home, to our home. And tonight we'll fall asleep in each other's arms and we can feel safe again, Renji. It has been a long time since I've felt safe. I need to feel that again, but it won't happen unless you're there. There is time enough to deal with Ichimaru Gin and the others who would do us harm, but let's save our righteous anger for battle. That battle will take place in the future, but now is not the time or place. I just want to go home."

Renji's heart still ached for revenge, but he forced his reiatsu to calm and took Byakuya's hand in his.

"Um," said Kisuke, "I hate to be a nag, but Captain, you just had major surgery. There's this whole thing called 'recovery' that you haven't done yet. Lie down and rest."

Byakuya shook his head.

"I will recover at Kuchiki Manor, attended by my vice captain…"

Kisuke looked doubtful, but saw the stubborn look in the captain's eye and realized that argument would do no good.

"All right…let me open the senkaimon then…"

Byakuya and Renji waited as the senkaimon was opened and then the two stepped into it side by side.

"I still think you should have let me go after him," Renji said in a much calmer voice as they passed over into the Seireitei and approached the main gates.

They continued up the quiet streets, enjoying the brush of wind against their skin.

"It didn't leave a mark, did it?" Renji asked, leaning over to look at Byakuya's cheek.

"No," Byakuya assured him, pushing him gently away, "Stop doing that, Abarai. I'm fine. He was just trying to take a jab at you. Ignore it."

"That's easy for you to say," Renji muttered discontentedly, "It's a matter of pride that I do a competent job of defending my captain. This is a clear failure on my part. You should have demanded that I kill him to defend your honor."

Byakuya turned and took him suddenly by the shoulders, bringing their mouths together in a hungry, wet kiss.

"You honor me with your love…Renji."

He turned and was followed by a much more docile Renji Abarai. Renji looked over at him thoughtfully.

"Byakuya, I was just…wondering about something," he said, a feeling like hell butterflies rising up inside his stomach.

Byakuya turned to look at him, still walking slowly. Renji looked into his eyes and the words he wanted to say disappeared. Byakuya's expression became curious. He came to a stop, eyeing Renji appraisingly.

"What is it, Renji?" he asked quietly, "You look like something's wrong."

"Ah, hell no…nothing but ah, being still pissed at Gin."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"I was just…just kinda wondering…"

He looked into the patient gaze of his captain and lover…and still couldn't find the words. A slow smile was forming on Byakuya's face.

"Renji, it's okay," he assured the redhead.

"Huh?" Renji asked, mystified.

_Could he know what I'm thinking?_

"I understand."

_He…knows?_

"Extreme situations sometimes leave people in a rush to move their lives along. We've only been together a short time. I know you were worried sick about me, but I won't have you making emotional decisions you will regret later. Let's just…take one day at a time. My needs right now are very simple. I want you at my side and I want to lie down next to you at night…and wake up next to you every morning. I want to know that when I need you…you will always be there."

It seemed to Renji as though everything else disappeared and all that was left was the calm, soothing sound of Byakuya's voice.

"I want to take long walks by moonlight and sit under the stars with you. I want to tell you all of their stories…and I want us to share all of ours. And when trouble comes, I want yours to be the weapon that rises up in front of me and defends me…and I want mine to do the same for you. I want there to be no distance between our hearts, no space between our souls. The rest will come in its own time and we will share everything…love, marriage, a happy home and yes, Renji, a family…when we're ready…"

"When we're ready," Renji repeated, leaning forward and capturing the lips from which those sweet words fell.

Byakuya stepped out of the shower and dried off, then wrapped a robe around himself, tying it at the waist. He stepped out into the dressing area and shivered softly as he caught his reflection in the mirror. Renji stepped out of the bathroom and caught a glimpse of his expression in the mirror, then stepped forward and slowly wrapped his arms around him, resting his head on a soft, trembling shoulder.

"I hate this," Byakuya whispered, "this feeling of not being safe in my own home. I wonder if I'll ever feel safe here again."

Renji caught his eyes in the mirror.

"You will. It will just take time. A hell of a lot happened…"

"Renji, I'm glad you were with me…that you stood by me when I was accused of impropriety at work…that you found me when I'd been made human…and protected me until I could return to shinigami form…for fighting Orochi…and for risking so much to go to Las Noches and bring Gin back. I'll never be able to…"

"Stop…just don't do that. I love you. I wasn't going to stand by and let bad things happen to you."

"And you can be certain that I will do the same for you when you need me, Renji."

"I know that," Renji said, lifting him into his arms, "and right now, what I need is for you to do what Kisuke said and get some rest."

He lowered his lips to meet Byakuya and carried him to the bed, setting him down gently and watching as he slid beneath the covers. He leaned back against the pillows and gazed up at Renji.

"Will you be joining me?" he asked softly.

Renji nodded.

"I'll just go get some tea and then I'll join you."

He turned and flash stepped out of the room. Byakuya blinked against the too strong light coming in from the garden and climbed out of bed to close the doors. As he swung them closed, Renji returned to the room and upon seeing the empty bed, dropped the tea tray.

"Bya?" he said, his voice trembling.

Byakuya stared as Renji's head turned and their eyes met. Byakuya's eyes dropped to the broken tea set and then returned to Renji.

"Byakuya," Renji said, flustered, "I'm sorry…I just…I don't know. You weren't in bed and I…"

Byakuya flash stepped to him and bent to pick up the tea set. Immediately, Renji knelt and pushed his hands away from the broken glass.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice still shaking slightly, "I guess I just overreacted. I hope the tea set wasn't special to you or anything."

Byakuya leaned forward and kissed him warmly.

"It was an everyday set…not special," he assured the redhead.

He regarded Renji's bowed head and the still shaky hands that picked up the broken glass.

"It looks," he said softly, "as though I might not be the only one needing time to feel safe again, Renji. You reassured me…now let me do the same for you. Everything will be all right."

He pushed the broken tea set aside and pulled Renji to his feet, leading him across the floor and slipping into bed next to him. He turned and curled into the strong, warm arms and laid his head gently on Renji's tanned shoulder. He listened to the sound of Renji's heart beating and watched the slow rise and fall of his chest.

"We'll be all right," he promised Renji, "as long as we stay together…because what we are building we've placed on firmer ground…not something so soft as sand."

There was no audible reply, but Renji pulled him more tightly against his shoulder and ran his fingers slowly through Byakuya's silken hair.


	27. A Bit of Love and a Bit of Revenge

**Chapter 27: A Little Bit of Love and a Little Revenge**

Byakuya woke to a feeling he had almost forgotten. He was buried in softness and warmth, naked and wrapped around Renji Abarai. Despite everything that had tried to tear them apart, they were still there, alive and well and _home_. He sighed into the soft swirl of red hair and nuzzled deeper into his lover's arms. Renji moved slightly in his sleep, his arms tightening to pull Byakuya closer. The feeling of being held in such a way was achingly beautiful. The touches of hair and skin and breath made his heart purr in his chest and sent such warmth into his mind he wanted to just lie suspended on it, to forget speaking or moving, even breathing as the comfort of being so loved washed over him.

He must, he thought, have moved or made an unbidden sound, because Renji's eyes suddenly blinked open and met his, and Byakuya felt the world fall away all around them as he sank into the depths of those wonderfully loving eyes. And it suddenly felt like ages since they had been together in their bedroom this way, safe and secure, wound warmly around each other. They didn't have to report for duty for several days and there were no meetings or briefings…just an order from the head captain to catch their breath in preparation for returning to duty. And when the next workday came, they would resume their tireless schedule, the slow awakening at dawn and the tracing of their footsteps that carried them through the streets of the Seireitei to the office where they spent so much time…making plans, training, filing reports, and all the while, stealing glances and sharing small exchanges of words that hinted deliciously at what they would do when their duties were seen to and their feet had carried them back to this same place. And they would walk in the gardens and along the forest paths under a blanket of shining stars and a brilliant moon. And when they finally returned to this place, they would lie down and gaze into each other's eyes, knowing without a doubt that this was meant to be…that their love for one another was something fated and chosen and wholly embraced.

"What are you thinking?" Renji whispered.

His thoughts spun away and he found himself at a loss for words. But words weren't necessary anyway and were a poor substitute for pouring the contents of his heart into sweet embraces, gentle kisses and the warm joining of their bodies. So he turned in Renji's arms and loosed the contents of his heart, seeking that warm mouth, sinking into it and loving every inch of it with soft tracings and strokes of his tongue. He sent it pouring out through the hands that held this precious other, that explored the path of each of the black markings on his body, that traveled each curve and hollow, lingering to bring him pleasure, spurred forward by the catching of his breath and the sharpening cadence of the heart that beat beneath his searching fingertips. He released everything into kisses and touches, then watched in breathless wonder as Renji's eyes lit from within and Byakuya was met with a rush of love returned.

He fully expected his fiery lover to upend him, to push him down onto the bed and take him. Renji was a deeply passionate lover and Byakuya did enjoy the times when he could relinquish control and fall under that strong body…to be held down and loved with such ferocity. But there was great value also in the times like this, when Renji chose to return his affection in a much different and profound way.

He was kissing Byakuya back and his hands moved pleasantly in ways that awakened the noble, made him strain toward that lovely tattooed skin, made him devour the exposed flesh hungrily. But the redhead stopped short of taking over. And Byakuya realized with sudden certainty that he was doing this for a reason.

He met the beautiful brown eyes questioningly and Renji smiled back at him.

"Renji?" he whispered.

That warm mouth fastened on his, sending a flash of heat all of the way to his toes. Then, they traveled to his ear in a slow rendering of kisses all the way up his jawline. Byakuya shivered softly.

"I've missed you so much!" Renji whispered, "I missed my captain…the one so strong that a zanpakuto could pass through his heart and he wouldn't die…the one whose power broke us out of Las Noches, the one who managed to show strength even with all of his powers stolen from him…the one who took a short human life and made it into something beautiful. I love you. I love feeling your strength, your power. I haven't felt that for too long. I want to feel that again…"

And given such a profound statement of affection, Byakuya responded instantly. The spiritual pressure rose around the two washing over their bodies like a warm summer wind. The room rumbled softly and they could feel the soft vibration all through them. He wrapped that power around them and sank into his lover's flesh, releasing his reiatsu in a burst of pink light and a shower of soft pink sakura. Renji's face was bathed in bliss and his body rose up against Byakuya's, inhaling their warmth and mingled power, exhaling it in soft, beautiful moans of pleasure as he met each deep, penetrating thrust. He took hold of his lover's powerful hips, pulling them in hungrily, deeper, harder, faster until the pleasure overcame them both and sent them reeling. Renji wrapped his arms tightly around the lithe, beautiful body that had given him such pleasure and overthrew him, now holding him down and treating his still-trembling form to a love-blind rendering of heart melting kisses.

"Now, that's the captain I remember," he whispered.

There was fire and confidence returning to the dark gray eyes. It would be some time before the deeper emotional wounds healed, but Renji was encouraged by what he saw in his Captain's more peaceful expression. Whatever remaining fears or doubts might plague him, Byakuya was going to move forward and put this behind him. And, knowing that the noble had the strength to do that, meant everything to Renji. It re-affirmed what he already knew about his captain-lover…that no matter what challenged him, whatever might seek to do them harm, Byakuya would find the strength to overcome it…and to keep moving forward. And the deepest desire in the redhead's heart was to be the one at Byakuya's side through all of it. The look in his lover's calming eyes assured him that he would be…

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya knelt before the head captain, waiting as the captain commander moved forward to speak to him. He felt the wise, old eyes observing him as he kept his head bowed and his expression calm.

"Byakuya Kuchiki, thank you for abandoning your recuperation and coming to see me. I won't keep you here long."

"Hai, Head Captain, it was no trouble," Byakuya replied quietly.

"I want first to inquire into your recovery. Captain Unohana reports that you have been fully restored as a shinigami, with no lingering physical effects from either the human transformation or the near-hollowfication. It seems you were extremely fortunate not to have suffered a worse fate, considering what you faced."

"I agree, I was fortunate…but I would not have been so fortunate without the help of Renji…Kisuke…Tadashi and Nia…Ichigo…"

The head captain nodded.

"It is a blessing, I think, to have friends like these," commented the head captain, "but I think you need to be careful in the way you express your affection when it comes to one of those friends in particular. I feel I must remind you that your relationship with Renji Abarai did play into the hands of the ones who opposed you."

Byakuya raised his eyes to meet the captain commander's.

"As do all relationships, sir. While I admit that my poor choice to express my affections to Renji while representing the Gotei 13 did make useful fodder for my enemies, I will not allow those enemies or any others to shake my resolve in this. I am in love with Renji and he returns that sentiment wholeheartedly. And from this point on, I will proceed with greater caution so that I do not have to endure something like this again…but I will not leave Renji. I cannot. Not now…not ever."

The head captain studied him for several long, silent minutes.

"Well," he said finally, "perhaps as you grow older, you will also grow wiser, Byakuya Kuchiki. Go then. You have your clearance to return to active duty."

Byakuya bowed.

"Arigato, Head Captain."

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are you doing here?" Byakuya asked, spotting Renji waiting for him as he left the first division.

"Oh…I was just…in the area and thought I'd meet you and…"

"Walk me to work?" Byakuya prompted him.

"Yeah, walk you to work."

"That's funny…because I wasn't all that sure I was going back to work right away. I thought, perhaps that the head captain would inflict some punishment for my actions that prompted the investigation. I did actually break a few rules."

"Like you haven't been through enough!" Renji said, frowning, "So he didn't, did he?"

"No," Byakuya replied softly, "He merely expressed that he was glad for my recovery and he returned me to active duty."

"Really?" said Renji, raising an eyebrow in surprise, "I was worried he would still be pissed about us having sex in your office."

Byakuya nodded.

"He did also suggest that my continued love relationship with you could expose me to more unpleasantness at the hands of my enemies and suggested I consider abandoning it."

Renji stopped walking and stared silently at Byakuya.

"I told the head captain that there was no way I was going to leave you…not now, not ever…Renji," the noble said, smiling at his lover's worried expression.

Renji's face dissolved into instant relief. Byakuya's smile widened and his eyes narrowed.

"Well…what did you think I would say?"

"I don't know," Renji said, looking a bit confused, "I…uh, well I know your position as captain and being a clan leader too is making this difficult for you…"

"And you thought I couldn't handle that?" Byakuya asked, maintaining his calm appearance, but starting to leak a somewhat agitated reiatsu.

"No…I mean yes…I mean, I know you can handle it, but I just…wasn't so sure I was worth all of the trouble, you know?"

"Well then, Renji Abarai, let me personally reassure you as your captain…as your lover…and as your friend…You are more than worth the trouble."

Byakuya's arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. And Renji felt a shock of surprise as Byakuya kissed him, heedless of the fact that they were just outside the first division, that there were so many shinigami around, that it was during work hours. Renji laughed softly and kissed him back with equal warmth.

"And you're going to get into plenty of that trouble if you stay with me, Captain."

"I see," Byakuya said, frowning slightly, "Fortunately for me, I have a very capable vice captain watching my back."

Byakuya felt the heated touch of the head captain's reiatsu.

"Come, Renji," he said, turning, "Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya sighed and shifted in his chair, distracted by the soft laughter issuing from the area of Renji's desk. He looked across the room and frowned at the small cluster of bodies gathered around the vice captain's desk and cleared his throat. None of them seemed to notice. He paused, annoyed and cleared his throat more loudly. Renji looked up apologetically.

"Sorry, Captain, didn't mean to disturb you," he said, "It's just…sorry…"

He lowered his head again and the three gathered around his desk tried to be quiet, but eventually, their voices burst, once again, into uncontrolled laughter. Byakuya looked up again, sharply and was met with another quick apology from Renji.

"What are the three of you doing over there?" Byakuya asked sternly, "I thought that I told you to start working on the next set of living world postings."

"Yes, sir, you did. But…ah hell, maybe you should come and have a look at this."

Curious, Byakuya rose and crossed the room, taking a seat beside Renji. He glanced at the small viewing screen on the desk in front of Renji and his eyes went wide.

"Kami! That's Gin ichimaru!" he exclaimed, "but why is he…doing that?"

The three burst into laughter again and took several moments to collect themselves.

"It's…it's one of those spy mice from the twelfth division," Renji explained.

"Captain," said Tadashi, smiling, "it seems that on my haste to escape Las Noches, I failed to notice when it slipped out of my pocket. When I realized it was missing, I activated it to see where it was…and it was still there."

Byakuya tilted his head, staring.

"And what capabilities does this spy mouse have?" he asked, watching closely as the camera zoomed in on Gin's face.

"Ah, it has a camera and microphone, tracking device, a small laser and some hypnotic effects."

"I see."

He paused, still watching closely as the mouse employed its hypnosis and Gin tripped over his own foot.

"You should try not to be so obvious," Byakuya cautioned them, "and this should be reported to the head captain. Such a way of looking in on Aizen and his lackeys could prove useful for the war. We should not jeopardize its use by playing with it this way."

He stared more closely at Gin's image.

"Captain?" queried Renji.

"Hand me the control device."

Renji swallowed hard and handed the controller to Byakuya. The noble studied the controls carefully for a moment.

"How strong is the laser? How close must it be to inflict a cut?"

"Uh…just a little closer than it is," said Tadashi, "but won't that…"

Byakuya touched the control pad and the mouse moved carefully into range. Byakuya frowned as the controller was taken from his hand. He glared at Renji for a moment, then his expression softened in realization.

"I know he did it to you…but I'd really like to do this…if you don't mind…Captain," Renji said, fixing the laser on its target.

"You do realize he'll probably find it," Tadashi cautioned him, "If you want to preserve it to use against Aizen, maybe you shouldn't do that."

"Oh, hell no, we're not going to pass up a chance like this. We'll be careful."

Renji took careful aim at Gin's face.

"Right there…wouldn't you say, Captain?"

Byakuya smiled.

"Perfect," he breathed.

"Just give the order, then."

Byakuya watched for a long moment, his eyes gleaming as they studied Gin's face.

"Fire when ready, Renji."

A moment later, a sharp scream sounded from within the monitor and four peals of laughter filled the room.


End file.
